Design is not Art

Art
Austin Knight
Senior UX Designer at HubSpot
Design
IS NOT

This talk is not about design or art.
uxd.to/design @ustinKnight
It’s about designers.

Hiring managersDesigners

"Just hire a great designer, and you don't have
to worry about expensive user testing. They’ll
know how to deliver a good design.”
HIRING MANAGERS

“Everybody thinks they’re a designer. I’m the
designer here, and I’m the expert.”
DESIGNERS

The genius designer

The genius designer
is a myth.

DESIGN AND ART
The diﬀerences between
DESIGN AND EGO
The incompatibilities between

1
DESIGN AND ART
The diﬀerences between

Purposes
Data
Sources
Roles of
Creativity
Blanket statements will be made, but they’ll make sense in the end.

Purposes
Personal expression
DesignArt
Intrinsic and

independent value
External and

dependent value
Use

Purposes
DesignArt
It reduces friction,

for better or worse
AlleviationProvocation
It generates friction,

for better or worse

Purposes
DesignArt
It is calculated
Observation and iterationExploration
It is whimsical

Purposes
DesignArt
It is a reﬂection of

it’s audience
FunctionAppreciation
It is a reﬂection of

it’s creator

Purposes
@ustinKnight
Art is about: Design is about:
Personal expression Use
Provocation Alleviation
Exploration Observation and iteration
Appreciation Function
Take a photo for safe keeping

DESIGN IS ABOUT THE USER
ART IS ABOUT THE ARTIST

Data Sources
ARTIST DESIGNER

Data Sources
ARTIST DESIGNER
Analytics
User
feedback

Data Sources
ARTIST DESIGNER
Analytics
User
feedback
Usability
Design
patterns

Data Sources
ARTIST DESIGNER
Stakeholder
feedback
Analytics
User
feedback
Usability
Design
patterns
Business
goals

DESIGN IS OBJECTIVE
ART IS SUBJECTIVE

Roles of Creativity
DesignArt
Creative for the sake

of serving a purpose or

solving a problem
Extrinsic valueIntrinsic value

of being creative

Roles of Creativity
DesignArt

of serving a purpose or

solving a problem
Means to an end resultEnd result

of being creative

Roles of Creativity

Roles of Creativity
No. 6
Mark Rothko
$186 million

Roles of Creativity
No. 6
Mark Rothko
$186 million
Interchange
Willem de Kooning
$300 million

Roles of Creativity
Interchange
Willem de Kooning
$300 million
Toyota Prius
(with doors)
$24,000

DESIGN LEVERAGES CREATIVITY
ART EXPRESSES CREATIVITY

Design
Art

Design Art

Engineering
Design Art
Function Aesthetic

Function + Aesthetic = Delight

Objective

Function is the critical element; aesthetics should
both be derived from and assist in the function of
the design. Form serves function.

Functional & Aesthetically Pleasing = Most likely to win
(Ex: Spotify)

(Ex: Spotify)
Functional & Not Aesthetically Pleasing = May still win
(Ex: Reddit)

(Ex: Spotify)
Functional & Not Aesthetically Pleasing = May still win
(Ex: Reddit)
Not Functional & Aesthetically Pleasing = Most likely to lose
(Ex: Ello)

"The aesthetic quality of a product is
integral to its usefulness because products
we use every day aﬀect our person and
our well-being. But only well-executed
objects can be beautiful."
― Dieter Rams

Subjective

Strong aesthetic design accounts for what the
user perceives as beauty more than what the
designer perceives as beauty.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO 2015 Rolls Royce Phantom

“Products fulﬁlling a purpose are like tools.
They are neither decorative objects nor
works of art. Their design should therefore
be both neutral and restrained, to leave
room for the user's self-expression.”
― Dieter Rams

User

AUSTIN SAID “DESIGN IS NOT ART”
MY ANECDOTAL EXPERIENCE FROM
1995 DETERMINED THAT WAS A LIE

DESIGN IS NOT ART

DESIGN IS NOT
ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Purposes
Data
Sources
Roles of
Creativity

@ustinKnight
Purposes
Designers create products that are
intended to serve purposes that exist
outside of themselves.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Purposes
The design is about the user,
not the designer.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Data
Sources
In order to create a product that
properly serves it’s purpose, the
design must be adequately informed
by outside data.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Data
Sources
Designers don’t magically create
masterpieces; they collect and
interpret information that empowers
them to create masterpieces.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Data
Sources
Design is not a talent; it’s a skill.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Roles of
Creativity
Designers must leverage creativity in
a thoughtful way, so that the design
can better serve it’s purpose.
Take-Aways

@ustinKnight
Roles of
Creativity
The design should be built
with intent; there should be reason
and justiﬁcation behind the
decisions made.
Take-Aways

Litmus Test
@ustinKnight
If a designer seems to be making design decisions
based solely on opinion or intuition, they aren’t
practicing design; they’re practicing art.

Litmus Test
@ustinKnight
Focus on designers that can regularly
support their design decisions with

reliable data, research, or reason.

Litmus Test
@ustinKnight
While design and art are both equally important
to society, if a designer is hired as a designer, they
should be practicing design.

2
DESIGN AND EGO
The incompatibilities between

Real screen shots from a Creative Director’s portfolio

Feedback and
emotional
attachment
Attribution of
success and
failure
Data and
validation
Open-
mindedness
Collaboration
and teamwork

HUMILITY
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY
A DESIGNER CAN POSSESS

@ustinKnight
AustinKnight.com
uxd.to/design
@HubSpot
HubSpot.com

Design is not Art

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