The difference between being an artist and a designer is that an artist is allowed to run with their imagination to create art of their mind. A designer is able to use their own creative talent to a limit. A designer creates art for a client, with a target market in mind.
I think it is extremely important to understand different artistic styles before creating art of our own especially since we are designing for an audience. Each audience is unique in the design they are used to and expect. A more conservative audience may not react well to a shocking post-modernism theme. Expressionism and formalism are two very different pieces of art, expressionism focused on the underlying meaning while formalism is focused on the the form and not the emotions. A client hires you to deliver a message on the importance of locking your doors at night, it’s important to use and expressionism method to scare the audience into locking their doors every night.
It is also useful to know the successful designers in our professional industry. Even though it is not accepted to copy someones work, rising designers would be wise to study what works and what doesn’t in an interactive media platform. This concept extends to color combinations, grid placement, message, strategy, etc. One way to familiarize yourself with professional designers is to look at media with a different eye. If you stumble across a piece of media that catches your attention, investigate the creator and other work he/she might have done.