Fine Arts Prejudice.

I've come to a point in my life where I'm forced to listen to conflicting views of art. What it is. What it isn't. What is good. What is bad. Now, these of course are all opinions, and art is open to interpretation and opinions. However, it gets tiring to hear things that I hold so dear to my art and my beliefs being put down. I am a Graphic Design major, and Graphic Design is a form of art that many "fine artists" don't consider to be art at all. This is infuriating to me. Graphic Design is just as much art as any painting is. The only difference between Graphic Design and "Fine Arts" is that Graphic Design is meant as a means of communication, direct communication. Art is also a form of communication, however, there are so many concepts and deeper meanings that lie within paintings or photographs. Graphic Design is a tool of communication. It is visual art that uses letters and lines to communicate a very, very clear message, like, "This design is so intriguing, the jeans must be the same, so I'll buy them." And I feel like just because Graphic Design is part of the consumer world in a way that "Fine Arts" is not, we are judged as less of an "artist," and thus, less talented. This is clearly not the case. To even become a Graphic Designer we have to go through training that requires us to take all the "fine arts" classes. Why? Because taking painting, drawing, and photography, all aid in our designs. To have an eye for design you must have an eye for all art. We utilize photography, drawing, paintings, everything in our designs. We are the chameleons of the art world but at times I believe lack the respect we deserve from our "Fine Arts" peers.

Working with type is fabulous. It is my new art. My new way of speaking outloud. And for it to be ridiculed or not judged as highly or as valuable as photography or drawing simply drives me insane. As far as I'm concerned, design runs the world. Without it, everything would be very bland.

The poster below is the best way to communicate what I'm trying to say, Graphic Design is.. and I quote the poster and Paul Rand, "The endless conflicts between the spiritual and material, between ends and means, form and content, form and function, form and facture, form and purpose, form and meaning, form and idea, form and expression, form and illusion, form and habit, form and skill, form and style need to be resolved. It is the merging of these conflicts that determines the aesthetic quality of a painting, a design, a building, a sculpture, or a printed piece. A work of art, then, is the resolution of conflicting relations. It is a unity of opposites, a series of steps reflecting Hegel's dialectics: thesis, the subject; antithesis, the conflict; and synthesis, the resolutions. Whatever one's beliefs, art is commentary, art is revelation, art is the culmination of the creative process. It is a by-product, not a goal, a point of view about a particular object that rises above its topical source. It is not just a facsimile but an opinion expressed visually in a distinctive way. Art is reality enhanced. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated. Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations. Design is everything! Everything! Simplicity is not the goal. it is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations."