Software as Art
Week 58 of Founding Typogram
There has never been a doubt that software is a commodity. It is being sold at a certain price in a one-time or recurring payment. In many ways, it is no different from hardware like a wine glass or a hairbrush. But at the same time, it shares some characteristics with art.
A font is software first and foremost — it is something you install on your computer to perform a specific function, just like Microsoft word or a browser. It utilizes software licensing models — some font has open-sourced license like OFL, and some commercial fonts grant license based on how many computers you want to install that font on, just like other commercial software:
But at the same time, font is also considered a form of art. Type designers have been categorized as artists and craftsmen for centuries. The rendering of the letter is similar to an illustration of an animal in its nature. There are many artistic choice type designers make, and font can be very expressive, just like art typically is:
I am not going to fall into a logical fallacy and declare that because font is both software and art, therefore, all software is art. I think font, as a unique bridging example, opened doors for me to see the making of software like Typogram from a different, more self-motivating perspective — that I could be making art.
Perfectionism is allowed in the making of the software.
One thing that draws me to the idea of software as art is that it makes space for perfectionism. If the software is more than just a commodity, then making software is more than just a business operation. It gives justification for my perfectionistic pursuit when it is unbacked by business goals (sometimes perfection is indeed backed by business goals).
More outspoken opinions can be expressed through software as a medium.
The idea of software as art also empowers the software maker to be more outspoken about their opinions and ideas. I made Typogram because of my belief that a successful logo and brand can NOT be "designed" by a logo generator or an algorithm. I believe a human needs to design the logo. I believe anyone should be empowered to design, once equipped with proper brand design knowledge and skill, in the simplest, most straightforward way. The human who designs the logo doesn't need to be a trained design professional.
Software as art can live beyond its practical use.
Software often dies once it loses its practical use due to the rise of better alternatives or the problem it solves becoming obsolete. Without active development, we can rarely open and operate software from 3 or 5 years ago. The lifespan of a software is short.
The lack of longevity for the design and code that we produced used to be a daunting factor clouding my career choice. An architect's work can live on for centuries. My work as a software designer and engineer lives on for three years if I am lucky. But if we treat software as art and pour our ideas and opinions into it, it can live long after its practical use disappears. Prototypo, a parametric typeface design app, was sunsetted in 2020. The software won't run anymore. However, Prototypo as an art piece still lives, at least in my eye. Its ideas live on and still inspire me today. I am actively thinking about how to incorporate ideas of Prototypo into Typogram in the future. Path, the social network app died long ago, but its craftsmanship and design ideas inspired many apps after its time. Till today, we still see the float action button (FAB) in Google's Material Design; that idea initially came from Path the art piece.
This new perspective of making software as art justifies me to go above and beyond sometimes to indulge my perfectionism, use the software as a canvas for my artistic strokes, and express my opinions about design and other things. Software design and engineering have become more fulfilling for me to work on.
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