Design as Art: Bruno Munari (Penguin Modern Classics)

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First of all, we have to separate out what type of design we’re talking about. I can see in the case of graphic design, illustration, and branding maybe design is somewhat “art,” but if we’re talking about more functional design—such as digital product design or industrial design—we need to go a lot deeper, and it becomes clear: Design is not “art.” I approached Munari's book with high expectations (since it's so highly rated), but ultimately found little of interest to latch on to. Its really gotten out of hand lately and its vague as it is! but to answer most of the questions In a short informative thingie I always do here at Goodreads! I will say its the bridge between science and everyday life and thats my own philosophy what design is, you may have your own Idea about it! but its more related to having a practical solution rather than have a stylized approach in mind like most of the designers do now!! As a working professional(interaction&industrial design) I would like to give an example: Bruno Munari asked an old Designer namely the chief engineer who designed a scooter- why did he choose the particular color he used for the scooter? His simple answer was 'it was the most suitable and it was the cheapest' and I know its much more complicated than that! but you get what the general approach looks like and what it should be-"effectiveness over stylized accessories", I will leave your thoughts at that! And if you wanna have a chat what it is to you or you disagree! feel free to drop a message The insistence on a distinction between art and design has been like a constant, low-grade fever that’s bothered me for the last 15 years—first through my industrial design training, then during a fine arts graduate degree, and on into my career in branding and illustration. Instead, the emphasis now is on formal coherence — as seen in nature, like in the example of the leaf.

Art vs Design – A Timeless Debate | Toptal® Art vs Design – A Timeless Debate | Toptal®

More than anything, I want designers to realize that art is not an asinine subculture of design rejects preoccupied with finger painting their feelings. In fact, a low view of art is also a low view of design, science, history, and culture that severely limits creative potential and interdisciplinary progress. Paola Antonelli, design curator at New York's Museum of Modern Art, wants to spread her appreciation of design -- in all shapes and forms -- around the world. Vermeer had no formal artistic training and apparently did not undergo an apprenticeship as a painter. If this were all the project encompassed, it would be little more than a nice lighting effect, but the scope of Roosegaarde’s artistic vision is much wider. Van Gogh Path is a proof of concept within a larger project called SMART HIGHWAY, an ambitious effort aimed at reinventing the Dutch landscape by implementing a sustainable system of glowing, interactive roads.Understood more fully, art is not a result. Art is a process, and the process of art is overflowing with objectivity.

Design as Art - Penguin Books UK

What does all this mean? Vermeer likely used an advanced, and still unknown, form of camera obscura to create his masterpieces. This is a contentious theory, but there is ample evidence from multiple sources to support such a claim. Notice the words in bold. Artists “intentionally endow” their work with meaning to a high degree. In other words, they consciously enhance or purposefully enrich. There is intent married to action.

As mentioned above, Munari has written many books aimed at both experts in the sector and children, and certainly Design as Art does not reach the level of masterpieces such as Fantasiaand Da Cosa Nasce Cosa, texts not yet available in English. Nevertheless, the book is a journey into Munari’s poetics, useful for young students approaching the world of architecture and design. Though at times quite technical, the central premise of the book lies in how art should speak to the culture in which it belongs and the artist should be able to communicate the needs of the contemporary public in his/her oeuvre. When designers assert that art has to be subjective, they’re typically referring to the way people judge the outcome of an artist’s efforts. This manner of thinking about art places a supreme emphasis on results. In other words, art equals objects, performances, and experiences. Art is a painting. Art is a dance. Art is a light show. So, affordances are “perceived properties” of a function in design, and they need to be signaled to the user with “signifiers,” which provide clues to the user of the existence of a possible interaction. I don’t know how one would go about marrying the concepts of affordances and signifiers with “art.” They are essential interaction design concepts in the realm of HCI (human-computer interaction). They have nothing to do with art. Design] is planning: the planning as objectively as possible of everything that goes to make up the surroundings and atmosphere in which men live today." (35)