What makes a print/web designer a 'good' designer?

Question

Beyond designing 'pretty' images, I'm thinking along the lines of 'information design.'

Answer 1

Design is not art.

Art is about personal expression. It is about the life, the emotions, the thoughts and ideas of the artist. It matters very little what observers do, their activity is not required, only their appreciation. The practice of Art doesn’t require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist, and the artist alone. Art is about 'pretty' images.

Design is about solving a problem. Design is about communication. The designer needs someone to use (not only appreciate) what they create. Design doesn’t serve its purpose without people to use it. Design helps solve human problems. The highest accolade we can bestow on a design is not that it is beautiful, as we do in Art, but that it is well-used.

When people enjoy Art, they say “I like that”. When people enjoy Design, they say “That works well”.

Answer 2

Easy, attractive, and perhaps even enjoyable to read and use by the customer's target audience