What is the difference between art and design? Why do we have two different words here? Surely there is art in design, and even for the artist we say- there is a design to his/her madness. Why the distinction then?
telos. purpose. the why and what for of things. Art and design serve two fundamentally different purposes.
Art is for the soul. It is for meaning. It is to evoke and inspire. To elevate and transform. It is us channelling the aether to create something larger than us. It is sacrifice.
Design is for the mind. It is for messaging. It is to clarify and establish. To direct and shape. It is us removing non-ambiguity and subjectivity from the system. It is arrogance.
Yes- art has arrogance too. I know what looks good, what goes well together.
Yes- design has sacrifice too. It does not matter what I like/dislike. It matters what’s needed and what fits.
Design is then the process of structuring our aesthetic. Of finding the objective rampways for our cultivated tastes. In a way, design is the process of reigning in art- and of course this is needed at times. Could you imagine a world not yukta, unyoked, to the design of natural law? Without gravity and time? Without the reliability of the daily sun? Imagine a psychedelic trip- that’s what life would constantly be. It’s the reason why hospitals have layout design, not layout art. Why brands have design systems, not art systems. Reality is not just bhāva, it is not just expression and aesthetic. It is also ṛta, it is order and proper-ness.