Design Is Not Art: It’s About Crafting Solutions to Real Issues
After 22 years in the design industry, one thing I’ve come to realize is that design is often misunderstood. People tend to think of it as art—something purely creative, expressive, and aesthetic. But the truth is, design is not about making things look pretty. It’s about solving problems.
I remember early in my career, I used to focus a lot on how visually appealing something was. I’d spend hours refining the tiniest details of an interface, making sure the colors were perfect, the typography was flawless. But then, I’d watch users struggle with something I thought was beautifully designed. That was a wake-up call. It didn’t matter how ‘artistic’ my work was—if it wasn’t functional, it wasn’t good design.
Purpose vs. Expression: The Core Difference
Art is about self-expression. It’s about provoking emotions, making statements, and telling stories. Design, on the other hand, has a clear purpose—it has to work. A product, an app, a website, whatever it is, has to help people achieve something efficiently and intuitively.
In corporate design, this becomes even clearer. Every decision we make needs to align with business goals, technical constraints, and most importantly, user needs. There’s no room for personal artistic expression if it gets in the way of usability.
Function Over Form: Why Design Is a Science
One of the biggest shifts in my mindset came when I started relying more on user research. Instead of designing based on what I thought looked good, I learned to listen to data, run usability tests, and iterate based on real feedback. I’ve seen beautifully designed products fail because they weren’t user-friendly. And I’ve seen simple, almost ‘boring’ designs succeed because they made people’s lives easier. That’s when you realize—design is not about you, the designer. It’s about the people using what you create.
The Balance Between Aesthetics and Usability
That’s not to say aesthetics don’t matter. A visually well-crafted design builds trust and creates an emotional connection. But in design, aesthetics serve a function. If something looks amazing but confuses users, it’s not good design. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was: “Great design goes unnoticed.” Think about the apps or tools you use daily—when they work well, you don’t even think about them. They just do their job. It’s only when something is poorly designed that you notice the frustration it causes.
Designing for People, Not for Galleries
At the end of the day, design is about people. It’s about understanding their pain points, their needs, their behaviors, and crafting solutions that make their lives easier. It’s not about making a statement—it’s about making an impact. One of my proudest moments as a designer wasn’t when I created something visually stunning, but when a user told me, “This made my job so much easier.” That’s the true reward of design.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a designer struggling with the balance between creativity and functionality, remember this: design is not about you. It’s about the users. Art makes people think, but design should make things work. The more you focus on solving real problems, the better designer you’ll become.
