Caves and such.
From the first moment humans began drawing on cave walls we’ve been trying to tell stories and keep them for the future. Natural evolution is what we have today. Film, photography, painting, digital… the list is exhaustive. What remains from those first cave etchings is the need to express ourselves. A human quality not lost through time, and the thing that makes Art and design (as a function of art) such an important component of our existence. It allows for so much depth and range in the telling of WHO we are.
Desing is art.
Good design has a purpose, art itself has a function, but no direct purpose other than an expression of emotion. The combination of the two then becomes a blend of form and function as a means to pull the intended viewer in, and if used correctly, have them emotionally invested.
The function of art.
Art is subjective, right? We judge it – try to understand it, or don’t. It’s sometimes an idea shaped into a tangible object, melody piercing through speakers… anything.
But the “thing” it is, is not important. Rather the function takes higher ground. It is to arrest the viewer, to stop them right there and feel something, anything from their spirit and soul. In that function, we lean on design (art) to market the intended experience to the viewer and transport them, ultimately to consume the thing that particular design has been made for.
The end game.
In the end then, what is art in our time? Marketing, expressionism, a tool for better or worse? It can be all those things, it isn’t binary and that is the beauty of it. Art can occupy any funnel you wish it too.
