Here at Playwell Bricks, our designers are more than familiar with the tension between art and design. After all, most of our designers began as artists, honing their craft by pushing the envelope of technique and challenging themselves to solve new and bigger problems.

“But when you’re doing design, you just have to put a pin in the art, because that’s not what the clients wants,” explains Playwell Bricks CEO Jason Pyett.

“There’s a difference between what we’re doing here at Playwell Bricks and what maybe one of us would build to take to a convention where we want to blow away the other AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO®) with clever techniques and ideas,” says Playwell Bricks designer Tim Howell.

CEO Jason agrees. “I used to throw everything but the kitchen sink at my designs, but with production design, simplicity is key. That’s what clients want.”

He’s hit on the true difference between art and design right there. While art is created as an expression of the artist, design is undertaken for a purpose that the clients sets and controls.

Sometimes, that can create an internal struggle, such as when the designers strike upon an amazing idea that just isn’t what the client wants. “The difference between art and design a lot of times, especially with all these small production models, is that you’ve almost got to take the art, put it in your pocket, and forget about it, because it’s not what the client wants and not every project has room for that kind of a thing,” explains Playwell Bricks production admin Jared Oswald. “Sometimes we have a great idea, but it would send the project over budget or its going to be impractical, so we can’t do it.”

To borrow from pop culture, if there are two wolves inside a Playwell Bricks designer, one is an artist and the other is a designer. But it’s the designer wolf that our clients need, and that’s the one we feed through our projects.

If you’re looking for a custom design that meets your exacting specifications, Playwell Bricks is here to help you build your dreams. Our dedicated designers will work with your ideas, budget, and goals to ensure that you gift well, with Playwell. Contact us today!