While most responses are negative, I just wanted to say that I agree with you on this. Aesthetics is a big part of design and I see nothing wrong with taking an existing idea and improving upon it aesthetically.

Why should we settle for something when we can improve it? Yes, that depends on opinion, but imagine what magazines and posters would look like if we applied to same logic to print design.

Design can be an art. That is my reason for wanting to learn about design — I like that part of it and I don’t want to be seen as a bad designer because I use it as a medium to express myself.

I absolutely hope that the people saying “Design is for solving problems” aren’t the ones saying we need more creativity on the web.