A blogger asks about graphic design: "(Do) you have trouble with the idea that graphic design should be thought of as art ... I'm hard-put to know why the question concerns designers as much as it does. Why should anyone have trouble with the idea that the commercial arts are art?"

May I ask, do you agree with gay marriage?
Haha. I know it’s a ridiculous question to ask in relation to graphic design. But I like playing heavy handed. So let's say it's a bit like taking a poll of Americans and asking their idea of marriage. Is “open” marriage a contradiction? Can a domestic relationship between gay couples be called a marriage? The results are like any politically charged question–everyone has a point of view. Regardless, the numbers will tell the story, and many American’s have strict feelings about what they consider a marriage. But there are no numbers to report on people's opinions-no exit polls-on how much people feel design and art are related. It's an academic question.

Let's get real.
This discussion has been in the same form for the past 10 years in the fight over "desktop publisher" and "graphic designer". When Windows 95 debuted as a cheap alternative to expensive Mac graphics stations, graphic designers were incensed. They feared that employers and clients would not be able to tell the difference. Microsoft empowered PC users could pass for designers in many situations. Practically, it was an issue of competing for work. Many artists feel jilted by an uninterested public and try to use design as a way to make money and still feel connection to art.

Desktop publishing has been properly segmented into office work and production positions and the threat is diminished as language caught up with practice. The new threat to graphic design is not segmentation, but rather inadequacy. Art and design share a lot and it’s easy to get confused.

While most people have some opinion about design these days, if you ask anyone when they last purchased “A”rt, you will quickly see a difference. In art and politics it’s everyone’s right to have an opinion. So, come out and just say it, "I like that thing called design, because it makes me feel good. This Nike trainer “looks” like art to me." -- So call it art, But it's not! ehehe.

Prestige does not come cheap.
If Poyner is right, many will flock to design ideals because it gives them a feeling of prestige. As Americans we also have a culture of tempering our enthusiasm with a price point. Without a true Haute Couture culture, for American’s, it’s about price. More expensive = better. If something is cheap, it’s disposable. Random examples of cheap goods are recognized as well designed and become accepted like art. These examples only serve to reinforce a notion that an American style palette is green from money.

If you want art, buy art.

Related Links:
Michael Blowhard
Design Observer