Design as art or not?

The long-standing debate between Paula Scher and Milton Glaser captures a tension that still defines design today: is design art, or is it something else entirely? Scher embraces design as a form of expression—intuitive, emotional, and culturally driven—while Glaser insists that design is fundamentally about communication, existing to serve a purpose beyond the designer. At Future Hana, we see these perspectives not as opposites, but as essential counterparts. The most impactful work lives at the intersection of both: where clarity meets expression, and where strategy is elevated by visual voice. In an era where AI can generate endless variations of “design,” what truly differentiates a brand is not just execution, but intention—the human ability to translate meaning, emotion, and insight into systems that resonate and endure.

My foundation as an artist through Butterpop Art sits naturally within that intersection. My personal work—rooted in surrealist influences, street art, and meditative pattern—has always been driven by instinct, storytelling, and emotional exploration. That practice sharpened my eye for nuance, rhythm, and visual language in a way that extends far beyond aesthetics. When I step into client work at Future Hana, that same artistic sensitivity informs how I approach branding systems, motion, and user experience—bringing depth, personality, and cohesion to work that still needs to perform with clarity and purpose. Rather than separating art and design, my process moves fluidly between them: art fuels intuition, and design grounds it—creating work that not only communicates, but resonates on a deeper, more human level.