Thoughts on the Definitions of Art and Design (and Craft)

In our class discussion, we talked about how art differs from design.  We also discussed a third idea, "craft."  Of course, all of these concepts are involved with one another and the lines between them blurred.
Distinguishing art, design, and craft can yield some interesting insights, however.

Some of the differences that we discussed are that the best designers design with an intent not to be noticed (with the exception of clothing maybe).  We generally don't see the designers "hand" in the work.  While the same could be said of fine artwork, most artists would tend to want to create something in which their personal style or vision is more evident.  For our purposes in Art Appreciation, that explanation will suffice.  Designers make things for mass conception.  Typically speaking, an artist makes an object for a limited population or even a single person.  In fact, part of fine art's value comes from its limited availability.  This still holds true despite several artists challenging these notions.  Finally, designers create something with an evolution in mind: even after the prototype and Beta testing which have comparable stages in fine art, the commercial product will have several iterations.  Again, the notion is being challenged by contemporary artists, but we never saw, for instance, a "Starry Night" 2.0 .

In a nutshell, fine art (or the Modern term, high art) perhaps favors form over function in that the enjoyment of form may be its primary function, is created for a limited audience, and is intended to be a solitary and completed object (even if part of a series).

When asked to discuss an object that they own and use frequently, the students objects generally fell into one of two categories with few exceptions:  Students discussed products that involved grooming and hygiene, and students overwhelmingly discussed objects that dealt with the transmission and consumption of information.  One commonality with all products discussed involved portability and transportation.  While this is indicative of the nomadic student lifestyle, this certainly has implications beyond college life.  I think an older person and/or more established person would be more likely to discuss a large, immobile object or a fine art object.  I wonder also about objects related to recreation.  What about golf clubs, tennis rackets, basketballs, hula hoops, horseshoes, etc.?

Finally, I thought again about how most of us buy the things we use.  Things are designed and manufactured by others.  Perhaps, "craft," when used to describe a category of objects has something to do with designing and making our own utilitarian items?