Comments on: “Art” versus “Design” http://www.kgadams.net/2006/05/21/art-versus-design Technology, computer games, MMOGs, science...and other nerdy stuff Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:31:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kelly Adams http://www.kgadams.net/2006/05/21/art-versus-design/comment-page-1#comment-2767 Kelly Adams Mon, 22 May 2006 21:22:13 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2006/05/21/art-versus-design/#comment-2767 I agree with you completely, Chris. I might contract with a designer and say "do as you will, here's all my money"- in which case, if I come back later I'm stuck with what they did. Now, in my opinion, if I choose at that point to knock everything down and start over, that's my perogative- the designer really shouldn't say a word, although I suppose they could choose to never work with me again. But to be honest, I'd never contract with a designer this way. And any designer that expected this kind of (what I perceive as) stupidity on my part wouldn't be invited to work for me. The best relations I had with designers have started with that person learning a ton about me and what I want. They don't start by telling me what I *should* want. If I have an idea, they'll try to integrate it- I'll listen to them, and disagree only when I have a really strong personal feeling about something. What gets designed is something that actualizes some vision I had refined and filtered by the talent of the designer. Like you say, if an artist/designer wants to fund their own creation, they have free will to follow their vision in its entirety. What they create is theirs to keep or sell. Alternately, they must tether and compromise their vision to the will of the person paying for the creation. I imagine that's why there are so many starving artists :) I agree with you completely, Chris. I might contract with a designer and say “do as you will, here’s all my money”- in which case, if I come back later I’m stuck with what they did. Now, in my opinion, if I choose at that point to knock everything down and start over, that’s my perogative- the designer really shouldn’t say a word, although I suppose they could choose to never work with me again.

But to be honest, I’d never contract with a designer this way. And any designer that expected this kind of (what I perceive as) stupidity on my part wouldn’t be invited to work for me. The best relations I had with designers have started with that person learning a ton about me and what I want. They don’t start by telling me what I *should* want. If I have an idea, they’ll try to integrate it- I’ll listen to them, and disagree only when I have a really strong personal feeling about something. What gets designed is something that actualizes some vision I had refined and filtered by the talent of the designer.

Like you say, if an artist/designer wants to fund their own creation, they have free will to follow their vision in its entirety. What they create is theirs to keep or sell. Alternately, they must tether and compromise their vision to the will of the person paying for the creation. I imagine that’s why there are so many starving artists :)

]]> By: Chris http://www.kgadams.net/2006/05/21/art-versus-design/comment-page-1#comment-2764 Chris Mon, 22 May 2006 20:08:59 +0000 http://www.kgadams.net/2006/05/21/art-versus-design/#comment-2764 Designers and artists who work on commision must defer to the taste and judgement of the client... that is the nature of taking on a commision. Of course there are various levels of interferance and control and those should be laid out in advance in the contract - yes contract. It is first and formost a business transaction. Those that forget this and do not have a properly written out contract specifying areas of control before beginning do not merit the term "profesional" It doesn't matter that the client may have bad artistic judgement. It doesn't matter that they hired the designer for their judgement... they also hire lawyers and investment counsellors for their judgement. We know what happens ( or is supposed to ) to lawyers and investors that ignore their clients wishes and do what they think is best ... they look for a new job at best or spend time in jail at worst. ( I put doctors in this category as well, though many of them object. ) On the other hand, an artist that creates a work with the intention to then sell it can do anything he or she likes. A designer that buys a house, remodels it with the intention of selling the result can do whatever they like. Designers and artists who work on commision must defer to the taste and judgement of the client… that is the nature of taking on a commision. Of course there are various levels of interferance and control and those should be laid out in advance in the contract – yes contract. It is first and formost a business transaction. Those that forget this and do not have a properly written out contract specifying areas of control before beginning do not merit the term “profesional”

It doesn’t matter that the client may have bad artistic judgement. It doesn’t matter that they hired the designer for their judgement… they also hire lawyers and investment counsellors for their judgement. We know what happens ( or is supposed to ) to lawyers and investors that ignore their clients wishes and do what they think is best … they look for a new job at best or spend time in jail at worst. ( I put doctors in this category as well, though many of them object. )

On the other hand, an artist that creates a work with the intention to then sell it can do anything he or she likes. A designer that buys a house, remodels it with the intention of selling the result can do whatever they like.

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