Graphic Designer & Illustrator. That’s “&”, not “or” ... because I “do” both and believe that there are more &-kind out there v. or-kind (than folks may realize). I’ve worked with and met many of this talented ilk – in the office, at conferences, in seminars, and alike. They may come from various design places, but they all have a natural pull towards the “Art Side” and I’m happy to ride along with them. It’s a dual badge that’s nice to display and practice. And, besides providing a healthy balance of hand holding mouse and hand holding pencil – I see, feel, and experience the differences on many levels. I could change my title to Graphic Designer & Artist, but right now I’ll stick with Illustrator and in this article I’ll call it art.

Each discipline resides in own terms and they have focused audiences. Graphic design is more utilitarian in a

way that art isn’t. Graphic design serves the client’s interest, conveying the visual information towards a specific end. Art, on the other hand, is it’s own end, and doesn’t really concern itself of being all that descriptive. It serves its own esthetic purpose.

Most think of the Artist at the prepared canvas thinking about the entire painting. There’s some sort of end-game there, but the options are wide open and available without too many restricting preconditions. Most think of the Graphic Designer as ... well ... I don’t know what they think ... it’s still not all that clear to a bunch of folks out there, but I think we’re making headway. The Graphic Designer begins with more stuff and a lot can emerge from it – even within the directives of specific parameters. Many of the Graphic Designer’s

components already exist such as typefaces, color palettes, and sometimes imagery. The other big difference is art is seen with all its materials and lives right inside them. Whereas, Graphic Design is, for the most part, “non-existent” lingering inside a computer system, and takes on various forms through an array of applications.

So I guess in the end, the differences I experience between graphic design and art is how they’re created and looked at. Graphic design, through a clear, aesthetic presentation, in reality, is meant to bring your eyes and your travails somewhere else, to a completely different end for a useful and beneficial purpose. Art is meant to look into, and can lead to a more spiritual and emotional response, and is likely to be a bit more enduring, thruthful, and viewed with a higher

sense of value and integrity.

Yet, I believe both are honorable disciplines. Their relationship is close and tight, but I still think of them as separate – even though, at times, I make considerable efforts to blend them together, depending on the piece. And I find myself wanting to do more of that.

That’s way I choose to place the “&”, as a distinct separator between Graphic Designer & Illustrator. They both deserve their rightful space.

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