Melting bone
Our lives are encapsulated within a saccharine veneer, and when confronted with the intensity of human interaction, this facade can dissolve to reveal our true essence and vulnerabilities. The ostentatious façade projected online is inevitably destined to be exposed. When circumstances change, one's true nature becomes apparent.
我们的生活包装在甜蜜的外壳当中，人类当酷暑降临，才能融化他们的包装，才能看见自己的根骨。网络上的浮华包装最终还是难逃被揭穿的命运。当潮水退去，才知道谁在裸泳。
The current issue in commercial design is the excessive emphasis on functionality, resulting in a lack of focus on artistic presentation. Both commercial design and artistic works should be based on the concept of "artistic presentation," which prioritizes creating a wonderful visual effect. However, many bosses and clients mistakenly view artistry and visual impact as mere embellishments, instead opting to overload designs with brands, products, and excessive elements. They aim for a picture or melody that screams out: "Buy this! My product is great!"
The term "design" itself implies setting up a scheme to captivate the desired audience. This leads us to the first aspect of contemporary design's opposition to art: its strong purpose and utility. Particularly in industrial design, products need to be designed with cost-effectiveness and profitability in mind – essentially meant for selling. At worst, it may involve some form of deception; however, it is mostly harmless or even enjoyable.
While efficient communication through your work can quickly inform people about the products being sold, pursuing efficiency often compromises the charm of the artwork itself. Consequently, fewer people are affected by such designs over time. If we consider the charm of an artwork as "sales" and brand/product transmission rate as "profit," then highly utilitarian works focused solely on communication result in high-profit but low-sales products. Conversely, artworks emphasizing artistic charm become low-profit but high-volume sales items that have an infectious quality but struggle to convey your industrial brand.
Certainly, someone might argue, isn't art meant to be sold? Don't paintings fetch a price? No tickets for the show? Indeed, every artistic creation is a complex composition. Let's delve into the genesis of this work: was it initially conceived for artistic purposes or primarily driven by commercial motives? If its essence leans more towards business, then its artistic value diminishes; if it leans more towards artistry, then it becomes more profound. In this context, I perceive 'art' as an attribute that becomes diluted when detached from pure intent. The greater emphasis on 'purely artistic purposes,' the higher the significance it holds and we deem it 'more artistic.' This judgment stems from considering purpose.
If design lacks an element of artistry, the concept of communication loses its foundation and purely commercial communication becomes like water without roots or a tree without roots. Unless one can directly implant their objective in the minds of the audience, escaping this 'artistic background' is impossible. It may indeed be true that relinquishing overt commercial expression can render a product more subtle but also capable of subtly infecting and influencing people with its concepts."
现在的商业设计问题就是——“本来要展示的却用来表达”，即“太追求艺术作品的功能性”。本来，无论是商业设计还是艺术作品，它们的基底都是“艺术呈现”，就是首先要把呈现效果做精彩。但是现在的老板、甲方负责人，总以为作品的艺术性，作品的呈现效果是景上添花，就疯狂地往里添加品牌、产品，以及堆砌元素。他们恨不得一张图，一个旋律就告诉对方，我就是买这个！我的产品就是好！
“设计”之所以叫做“设计”，就是设下一个计谋，让你想“坑害”的人中计。这其实是“当代设计反艺术”的第一点：也就是强烈的目的性，强烈的功利性。特别是工业设计大范畴内的，都必须把自己的商品设计得成本尽量低廉，利润尽量丰厚。也就是说，设计本来就是“出来卖”的。说难听点就是欺骗人的手段，但是这种欺骗大多是非恶意的，甚至有人乐在其中。
虽然，你的作品能让人短时间内知道贩卖的产品，老板追求高效率的传达，而这种高效率的传达会伤害作品的魅力，让它影响到的人越来越少。如果把作品的魅力当作“销量”，而品牌、产品的传达率当作“利润”，那么一个专注传达、功利性极强的作品就是一种利润很高但是销量极低的产品。那么，一个专注传达艺术魅力的作品，就是一种利润很低，但是销量极高的产品，它能感染人，但是很难传达你的工业品的品牌。
肯定有人会说，艺术不是拿来卖的吗？画作不卖钱吗？听演出不买票吗？诚然是这样的，但是每个艺术产品的组成都是复杂的。我们就看这个作品的源起，它的诞生一开始是为了艺术的目地多一点，还是为了商业多一点？如果为了商业多一点，那么它就更不艺术，如果为了艺术多一点，那它就更艺术。我想“艺术”这个词在此处是一种属性，它越脱离纯粹的目的，占比就越低。它越是为了“纯粹的艺术目的”，它就占比越高，我们就说它“越艺术”。这就是从目的的角度来判定。
若设计不能以艺术作为基底，那观念传达也就失去了根基，“纯商业”的硬传达就如无根之水，无本之木。除非你能直接把自己的目标灌入受众的脑子，就不可能跑开这个“艺术的底色”。或许真的，放弃了直球的商业表达能会使产品更隐蔽，但是能让自己的理念感染人、潜移默化地影响人。