Art vs. Design — What's the Difference?

Art is a diverse range of (and products of) human activities involving creative imagination to express technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.There is no generally agreed definition of what constitutes art, and ideas have changed over time. The three classical branches of visual art are painting, sculpture, and architecture.

A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product or process. The verb to design expresses the process of developing a design.

The conscious use of the imagination in the production of objects intended to be contemplated or appreciated as beautiful, as in the arrangement of forms, sounds, or words.

A plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment, or other object before it is made

Such activity in the visual or plastic arts

A decorative pattern

Products of this activity; imaginative works considered as a group

Purpose or planning that exists behind an action, fact, or object

A field or category of art, such as music, ballet, or literature.

Decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), by making a detailed drawing of it

A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.

To conceive or fashion in the mind; invent

A skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation

To formulate a plan for; devise

Arts Artful devices, stratagems, and tricks.

To make a graphic or schematic representation of (something), especially as a plan for its structure

Artful contrivance; cunning.

To create or contrive for a particular purpose or effect

(Printing) Illustrative material, especially in contrast to text.

To have as a goal or purpose; intend

A second person singular present indicative of be.

To make or execute plans.

(uncountable) The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the senses and emotions, usually specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.

To create designs.

(uncountable) The creative and emotional expression of mental imagery, such as visual, auditory, social, etc.

A drawing or sketch.

(countable) Skillful creative activity, usually with an aesthetic focus.

A graphic representation, especially a detailed plan for construction or manufacture.

(uncountable) The study and the product of these processes.

An ornamental pattern.

(uncountable) Aesthetic value.

The purposeful or inventive arrangement of parts or details

(uncountable) Artwork.

A particular plan or method

(countable) A field or category of art, such as painting, sculpture, music, ballet, or literature.

The art or practice of designing or making designs

(countable) A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.

A reasoned purpose; an intent

(countable) Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation.

Deliberate intention

Contrivance, scheming, manipulation.

Often designs A secretive or underhanded plot or scheme

The second person singular, indicative mode, present tense, of the substantive verb Be; but formed after the analogy of the plural are, with the ending -t, as in thou shalt, wilt, orig. an ending of the second person sing. pret. Cf. Be. Now used only in solemn or poetical style.

A specification of an object or process, referring to requirements to be satisfied and thus conditions to be met for them to solve a problem.

The employment of means to accomplish some desired end; the adaptation of things in the natural world to the uses of life; the application of knowledge or power to practical purposes.

A plan (with more or less detail) for the structure and functions of an artifact, building or system.

A system of rules serving to facilitate the performance of certain actions; a system of principles and rules for attaining a desired end; method of doing well some special work; - often contradistinguished from science or speculative principles; as, the art of building or engraving; the art of war; the art of navigation.

A pattern, as an element of a work of art or architecture.

The systematic application of knowledge or skill in effecting a desired result. Also, an occupation or business requiring such knowledge or skill.

The composition of a work of art.

The application of skill to the production of the beautiful by imitation or design, or an occupation in which skill is so employed, as in painting and sculpture; one of the fine arts; as, he prefers art to literature.

Intention or plot.

Those branches of learning which are taught in the academical course of colleges; as, master of arts.

(particularly) Malicious or malevolent intention.

Learning; study; applied knowledge, science, or letters.

The shape or appearance given to an object, especially one that is intended to make it more attractive.

Skill, dexterity, or the power of performing certain actions, acquired by experience, study, or observation; knack; as, a man has the art of managing his business to advantage.

The art of designing

Skillful plan; device.

(transitive) To plan and carry out (a picture, work of art, construction etc.).

Cunning; artifice; craft.

To plan (to do something).

The black art; magic.

To assign, appoint (something to someone); to designate.

The products of human creativity; works of art collectively;

To mark out and exhibit; to designate; to indicate; to show; to point out; to appoint.

The creation of beautiful or significant things;

To manifest requirements to be satisfied by an object or process for them to solve a problem.

A superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation;

To draw preliminary outline or main features of; to sketch for a pattern or model; to delineate; to trace out; to draw.

Photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication;

To mark out and exhibit; to designate; to indicate; to show; to point out; to appoint.

To create or produce, as a work of art; to form a plan or scheme of; to form in idea; to invent; to project; to lay out in the mind; as, a man designs an essay, a poem, a statue, or a cathedral.

To intend or purpose; - usually with for before the remote object, but sometimes with to.

To form a design or designs; to plan.

A preliminary sketch; an outline or pattern of the main features of something to be executed, as of a picture, a building, or a decoration; a delineation; a plan.

A plan or scheme formed in the mind of something to be done; preliminary conception; idea intended to be expressed in a visible form or carried into action; intention; purpose; - often used in a bad sense for evil intention or purpose; scheme; plot.

Specifically, intention or purpose as revealed or inferred from the adaptation of means to an end; as, the argument from design.

The realization of an inventive or decorative plan; esp., a work of decorative art considered as a new creation; conception or plan shown in completed work; as, this carved panel is a fine design, or of a fine design.

The invention and conduct of the subject; the disposition of every part, and the general order of the whole.

The act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan);

An arrangement scheme;

Something intended as a guide for making something else;

A decorative or artistic work;

An anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions;

A preliminary sketch indicating the plan for something;

The creation of something in the mind

Make or work out a plan for; devise;

Design something for a specific role or purpose or effect;

Create the design for; create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner;

Make a design of; plan out in systematic, often graphic form;

Create designs;

Conceive or fashion in the mind; invent;

Intend or have as a purpose;