It’s true that website design and art do go together. You have to be creative, understanding of which colors go well together, know about textures, and more. When I graduated with a graphic design degree, I was required to have an art minor because art plays into website design. However, design and art are not the same thing.
Art is open and free. It allows the artist to do whatever they want, whether the end product “makes sense” to other people or not. Artists can work outside of the box, whereas designers of specific things, such as websites, brochures, flyers, etc. have a “box” that they must conform to. I would argue that each of these types of designs is a form of art, but they are much more restricted.
Website designers must consider logo, navigation, and content placement. We must consider current trends, what can and cannot be coded well once the design is finished, and simply how wide the website should be. These things change over time, and we must consider that. If a website designer had stopped designing sometime in the ’90s and suddenly started designing websites again, they would have a lot to catch up on. If an artist from the ’90s stopped and then suddenly started creating new art again now though, they wouldn’t have as much, if anything, to catch up on (depending on the type of art they were going for, anyway).
Website designers must also consider user expectations, which is part of what I mentioned above. Moving the logo so that it’s only at the bottom, having the navigation be inconsistent or in different pictures around the website… these things may be more artistic when done well, but no matter what, it’s not good for a website. Consistency is key, even if it’s not the most unique thing to do. You can still be artistic in a website design, but you must make sure to be consistent and easily understood at the same time. Unfortunately, some people try to be a bit too artistic and unique in their website design, which ends up confusing users. Takes these websites for example: (Click the pictures to view them)
Looking at the home page of each of those websites, do you have any idea what they’re for? They’re being a bit too “artsy” for a website in that it doesn’t tell you what the website purpose is or how to easily move to different pages. They’re both definitely unique, but they aren’t helpful. A designer’s job is to effectively and easily communicate information to others in a way that’s pleasing to they eye. These website designs are not effective and communicate nothing.
Another difference between artists and designers is that design can be taught while art is a natural talent, most of the time. Personally, I’m not an artist. Many people assume I am because I can design things, but I learned to design things. Obviously, I can still be creative and make well-designed websites, brochures, business cards, and more, but that doesn’t mean I can draw well. Some designers are artists though, and as long as they don’t go too overboard with the unique artistry on a website design then that works just fine.
Overall, design and art are related, but they aren’t the same thing. Art is more personal and full of emotion, while designs have a specific purpose for communication.
