When you look at a drawing what is the first thing you attribute it to? What about Posters? Signs? Paintings? You either said one of two answers for each of those: Art or Design

This is an argument that gets brought up every once in a while in the design community and begs the quetion:

Is Design Art? 

(I like to think that this is subliminal messaging for the questions above)

Design by definition is the communication of something in a visual form (Whether it be an apple, an idea, or whatever else). It is communication without spoken word. Based on that fact alone Design and Art are very close to one another. There is a very subtly but very important difference though that only people who truly understand graphic design seem to recognize. Design extends passed art. Design is the science behind the art. Design is largely based off of feel but where there is no prior experience you need to understand and know how to implement the proper fundamentals for what you need. This is why good design costs good money. It can take years and years and years for people to get to the point in their design career where they can continuously produce well designed and visually appealing content.

So What Do I Think?

I very strongly believe that Design by itself is an art form. It is a sub category of art. The argument shouldn't exist because these two things should coalesce. Good design should incorporate some sort of artistry. Without that artistry you can communicate "fast" with the word "fast". It takes the other part of design, the human part. to develop "fast" into motion.

But Wait There's More!

The other end of this argument is that people take Graphic Design passed the point to where it is no longer considered Design and becomes Illustration. This is part of the balance. Simplicity is also a big factor in good design. A good designer can communicate a very complex idea with very little. Personally this is my favorite aspect of Design and why I actually side with the designers on the art vs design debate. If your design doesn't work in multiple formats (while staying fully consistent) than you should rethink some aspects of your design. The end goal or product of a designer should always incorporate the brand. Without a stable brand the rest of the designs fall flat. The consistency throughout the brand is one of the most important factors. Complexity makes it more difficult to maintain that brand and as a result designs that turn into illustrations tend to not succeed past the occasional "Wow that looks good!".

When it all comes down to it though you know when you see good design. You can enjoy looking at it just as much as you can appreciate the thought, care, and skill that allowed it to develop into what it is. But don't forget to ask yourself "What is this communicating" because it is easy to get lost in the pretty colors of modern Graphic Designers when the real beauty is a little further down.