Artist vs. Designer: What’s the Difference?

One creates pieces from the heart while the other creates pieces to enchant consumers.

Do you know which one is which?

The former is an artist, while the other is a designer. Frequently these two become synonymous with one another, but there is a fine line between them.

Knowing Etymology

To better understand both individuals fully, let’s look at the meaning of each and get to know them better.

Art for the Individual

When we talk about art, it comes from the person’s innermost being creating it. Whether it be a painting, a poem, or even a book, these express the person making the piece.

For example, Banksy, a famous artist, creates pieces around England’s streets that depict satirical themes about society today.

Take a look at the piece, Napalm, below. It’s an unsettling piece that depicts capitalism and its effect on humans, specifically children.

Napalm, Bansky (2004)

As you can see, art has no boundaries. Whatever the person wants to create, they can execute it without much precaution. And art also has different interpretations based on who gazes upon it.

Design for the Masses

On the other hand, design has a more specific purpose. Depending on what the brand wants, that’s the design’s direction. As long as it has a function, it’s called a design.

But take note, we’re not talking about fashion design. We’re talking about graphic design, which helps the marketing tactics.

An example of a practical design is Alan Fletcher and the rise of his expressive typography. As you can see below, he has a good combination of visuals and text to create eye-catching graphics.

I Have Nothing to Say and I’m Saying It, Alan Fletcher

Now, let’s get into the five characteristics that distinguish both from each other.

Artist vs. Designer: The Distinctions

Let’s get into the more technical aspects. Despite their similarities, below are five attributes that contrast both.

1. Functionality
2. Process
3. Projects
4. Timeline
5. Themes

1. Functionality

As stated in the etymology, an artist’s and a designer’s purpose is dependent on either an individual or a business.

Artists work for themselves or want beautiful pieces for their home or own viewing. Pieces created as art have to evoke thought and emotion.

An example of thought and emotion-provoking is Edvard Munch’s The Scream.

It brings out Munch’s emotions when he created it: melancholy and alienation. Compared to design that has to relay the ideas of businesses creatively.

A great example of design is the Ocean Health Index website. The website itself exudes the beauty of the ocean, but its goal is to show you the health of the Earth’s oceans.

Even their logo is related to the ocean since it looks like a seashell and has layers or levels that depict what they want to tell people.

Aside from that, the website’s background is a coral reef with small fishes. It truly depicts the beauty of the ocean and why we need to know how healthy it is.

When it comes to rendering work for either of the two, an artist’s process is much more free-handed than a designer’s.

Artists will do what they feel like doing. When creating art is convenient for them, they do it. They finish their work as long as they express what they want to say.

Art is subjective. Thus, as long as someone understood it, the artist has done their job. Compared to a designer, they have to follow a particular process to create their piece.

From the type of visuals to which color palette their client wants, a designer will follow it to a tea. They also have to decide which digital compression they must use for the final render.

Thus, for a design to succeed, it has to speak to a particular market or audience and convince them to support a brand’s cause.

But aside from that, part of the process is what they use. Artists use mediums like pencils, paint, or Illustrator to sharpen the picture they are creating.

Designers use Photoshop or even video editors depending on the client’s needs.

3. Projects

Artists and designers have what we call a commission basis. The only difference is that art is for personal use while design is for a brand.

Design can have a much more stable job since website and logo creation is starting to pick up again. With the pandemic’s start, around 79% of businesses adapted to the crisis and will continue to adapt (Forbes, 2020).

4. Timeline

Compared to artists with an adaptable timeline, designers have to adhere to a three-month completion period depending on the client’s wants and needs.

It varies from time to time since there could be revisions that a client wants for a design to do. On the other hand, artists could also adhere to that schedule. But you are not required to since you can’t rush art. It’s like an impulse, created at the moment. You can reflect your timelines in your portfolios. Maximize timeline templates that you can customize more efficiently.

5. Themes

Lastly, when you look at the concepts depicted in art or design, you can see a clear difference. Art can be anything. Art can be a banana hanging from the ceiling or to Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

They express something that the maker feels at the moment which makes it beautiful.

For design, it has professional themes. So when you look at graphics, they have a specific color that stands out and is associated with the brand.

Think about Twitter or OKCupid with their signature colors of blue and white. Now, you would think of the visuals of the two. One is a bird, while the other is plain serif typography.

Either way, artists and designers are great for any industry, depending on your business needs.

Industry Fit Check

Now that we know the distinction between the two, we can categorize which industry needs either of them.

• Artist: They are usually self-employed or are in the motion picture and sound-recording industry. Artists have more leeway to show their creative chops. That’s why the industries above are great for them. Artists also join online marketplaces where they sell abstract art and other forms of art.
• Designer: You find them in publishing, advertising, computer system design, and or manufacturing industry. Each sector stated needs to do a specific program or have a message to relay to their respective audience.

Now You Know!

And that concludes our discussion today. We hope you learned more about the differences between artists and designers.

Don’t forget to support them in their endeavors since some artists do commissions because they have to pay for something or their passion.

And it’s the same for designers. Here at DesignCrowd, we support designers. You can hire one for yourself to help you with any brand graphic needs.

Or you can learn to design your own by visiting our BrandCrowd website or YouTube channel.

Till next time, BrandCrowd is signing off.

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Written by DesignCrowd on Wednesday, January 5, 2022

DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.