Design is a deliberate planning process aimed toward specific or generalized results. Since Art is based upon the imaginative, fantastic or creative drives, it is a discovery process, fraught with adventures for the Artist’s mind. One solves problems with a product in mind, while the other has the encouragement of discovering novelty as its goal.

In order to create art, the Artist must be willing to experiment, search, explore and indeed, often risk failure. This takes a certain personal courage; it involves stepping off into unknown territories of the Artist’s mind. In the Art process, as contrasted with the design process, preplanned goals are counterproductive since the results should not be overly pre-visualized. The Artist must be willing to try novel techniques or to invent new tools and to use them in possibly accidental ways not previously experienced. This serendipitous approach brings about unexpected results.

In order for any design to be expressed, reasonably clear goals need to be envisioned, the creative tools must be available and of course used to solve problems. “Creative tools” refers to basic techniques, supplies and materials previously discovered by the Artist. A design is a plan that exhibits the attributes of dimensions, notes specific materials and technical operations that will, if used properly, result in a finished product. The designer’s imagination can be honed and focused in ways enabling visualization of the parts and sub-processes involved so that they can be organized and interrelated or tuned, resulting in a plan, model, rendering or other crystallization of the solution that moves the designer closer to their final goal.

Between pure Art and pure Design is a wonderful spectrum of possibility and adventure allowing creation of novel and sometimes-useful products.

The Designer must learn to draw upon the techniques and discoveries made by the Artist. The Artist, conversely, may use tools developed by a Designer. Therefore, you see, it is both a sensory process and a feedback loop upon which Art and design rely in order to function cooperatively.

Art is experimental and breaks new “ground” while Design is deliberate. Art is aimed at novelty while Design is more product-oriented. Art is necessarily creative, but Design is more constructive and is a problem-solving process mainly with utility in mind.