摘要
在西方古希臘羅馬時代，沒有今天我們所謂的藝術，在其時大都是在指技巧或技術方面的事。其演變至中古世紀，文藝復興，以至十七世紀時才開始不再強調技術方面的事，至於在中文方面，自古亦有「藝」字的出現，但其意義也是在強調技巧，技術和才能方面的事，與西方古代亦頗為近似。 在工業革命之前，西方社會的各種物品都是由同業公會(Guild)的系統所維持，因工業革命的發生才漸被解體。此時工廠大量生產的成立，設計的方式亦因之開始出現，是為了產品有一定的標準化。因此，設計與機器生產的關係即趨密切。 其實，工藝的發展雖由於因設計方式的出現而走向量產，但有些卻是傾向於少量製作，亦或只做單件的工藝創作，其與藝術的創作方式並無區別。尤以現代藝術的開創以來，其表達的創意和自由不拘，開啟了視覺藝術的新紀元。藝術家在創作時，可以無拘束地創出千奇萬變的各式造形與自由揮灑的色彩應用，可是，藝術家則不一定會去思考到與實用的關係。但是，從事設計的設計師則較會去顧慮到別人的觀感和實用的問題。因此，現代藝術的創意，先行地把造形、色彩和意象創造出來，這給設計工作者有很好的啟發和開闢的工作。 至於現代工藝的走向，除了有量產之外，亦有以藝術創作的方式來造作，是由於現代藝術的風行，在創作上的自由不拘，故而工藝家亦可以走上純以創意為主的方向，以表達其意向和創造性，這與現代藝術是無甚差異的。 當我們在衡量具創意的工藝品與藝術品時，其審美的感受是一樣的，亦即都有審美的價值。因此，在情感的共鳴上是共具意義的，這也是藝術家具有審美經驗之後的創造成果，這與一般的事物是有所區別的，亦即在媒材、技巧、顏色和造形上，其所組合和散發出來的，能夠使觀賞者產生不同於一般的審美情感，這對工藝品與藝術品是別具意義的。
並列摘要
The ancient Greeks and Romans had no conception of what we call art today, in that time what they regarded merely as a craft or specialized form of skill. It was until the late eighteenth century that the disentangled from those of technique and skill so far as to establish a distinction between the fine arts and the useful arts. Besides, there was a similar conception of art as Greeks and Romans in ancient China. It was sustained by guild system in the western society before the Industrial Revolution for they produced the goods for their own need and survival. The growth of demand and the new consumer products were needed, afterward the relationship between design and marketing became increasingly closer. Although the ways of mass production had appeared due to the emphasis of design, but still the craftsmen created their own way the works. It was no difference between the craftsmen and fine artists, for both of them have the freedom of creating works. When we face the creativity of craft and art works, the sense of aesthetics and value are the same, for that is the creative results of aesthetic experience by both craftsman and fine artist. Therefore, it will have a distinguished significance both craft and art works for that the characteristic combination of medium, technique, color and form guide us into the field of aesthetic emotion.