What’s the difference between a web designer and a web developer?
Caity Lavelle | April 8, 2022
A web designer is a graphic artist who is in charge of creating a website’s layout, functionality, and visual look. On the other hand, a web developer is someone who creates and maintains a website’s essential structure.
A great web design professional should have a diverse set of creative, graphic, and technological abilities. A web developer’s job is to turn a website’s design into a working one using coding languages like HTML, JavaScript, PHP, and Python.
While web designers are responsible for a website’s overall aesthetics, web developers focus on its technical aspects. In other words, web designers are the creative masterminds behind a website, while web developers make sure that everything works properly. Both roles are essential in creating a successful website. A good team will have both web designers and web developers working together to create a user-friendly and visually appealing website.
Today, we’ll break down the differences between a web designer and a web developer in more detail.
The Roles Covered By a Professional Web Designer
Web designers are responsible for a wide range of jobs and responsibilities. Their main role is to create the layout and visual components of a website.
Their goal is to frequently ensure that the site is both visually appealing and user-friendly, encouraging visitors to stay as long as possible. This includes, in addition to the overall framework and layout structure, thinking about and building conversion-generating components, as well as developing web pages in a way that works across several devices.
Web designer types:
UX Designers
User experience designers make sure that visitors have a positive experience when interacting with a website. This includes everything from the site’s layout and navigation to its content and overall design.
UI Designers
User interface designers focus on the look and feel of a website. This includes choosing colors, fonts, and other visual elements.
Visual Designers
Visual designers focus on the overall aesthetics of a website. This includes the site’s layout, imagery, and overall design.
To fulfil their responsibilities, most web designers rely on a small number of tools, software, and technologies. Web Design and editing software and programmes, such as Adobe Photoshop, are among the most vital.
They may also make use of stock photographs and picture enhancement and compression software. In addition, web designers frequently employ a content management system (CMS) like WordPress and a website builder platform like Elementor.
The Role Fulfiled By a Professional Web Developer
The primary responsibility of a web developer is to create and maintain a website’s essential structure. Their job entails a great deal of technical effort, including the use of advanced programming languages and intricate coding. Basically, they take designers’ ideas and concepts and transform them into real, live, and completely functional websites.
A web developer’s responsibilities include the creation of the website itself. On the back end, this entails coding and setting the server and databases, as well as implementing user-facing features and functionality. They may also handle a variety of post-launch tasks, such as providing continuing support and maintenance and resolving server or hosting difficulties, in addition to testing and debugging.
Web developer types:
Full-Stack Developers
Full stack developers are web developers who have a working knowledge of both front-end and back-end development. This means they can build a website from start to finish, including the design, layout, user experience, functionality, and coding.
Front-End Developers
Front-end developers focus on the user interface and user experience of a website. This includes everything from the site’s layout and navigation to its content and overall design.
Back-End Developers
Back-end developers focus on the server and database of a website. This includes setting up the server, coding, and maintaining the site’s functionality.
Web Designers vs Web Developers
We hope you now have a better idea of how a web designer differs from a web developer. To tie things together, here’s a quick rundown of the most significant differences between these two roles:
Web designers create a mockup based on visual, UX, and UI elements to envision the overall idea and style of a website. If the notion is financially and technically feasible, web developers construct and code the site.
Developers focus on functionality and structure, whereas designers focus on aesthetic features and usability.
Web developers must have a high level of technical understanding. Understanding sophisticated programming languages and frameworks is part of this. While some research and analysis is required, a web designer’s responsibility is more focused on the visual and creative aspects of a website.
Coding libraries and frameworks, code versioning and issue tracking platforms like GitHub and Jira, hosting control panels and FTP clients, and content management systems (CMSs) are all common tools and applications used by web developers. Web designers generally employ wireframing and prototype tools, as well as design editing applications like Photoshop, a CMS like WordPress, and a website builder like Elementor.
In the creation, construction, and maintenance of websites, both web designers and web developers play an important role. In the end, the two positions are reliant on one another to provide a high-quality output, and the best web development companies will house both.
The key distinction is that developers concentrate on the project’s technical aspects, such as programming and coding. Designers are in charge of the aesthetic and conceptual work required to ensure a good UX and UI.
Choose a Company Who Can Help with All Your Web Development Needs
As a business owner, you may be wondering what the difference is between a web developer and web designer. While both roles are important in creating a website, they each have unique skill sets that can help your business in different ways.
You always have the option to choose a full-time web developer and web designer for your business, but by finding a local web development firm, you will have access to a wide range of specialists to help you with your website needs.
At Marketing Sweet, we have both web developers and web designers who can help with every aspect of your website and its features.
We will deliver packages that are suitable to the needs of your business, and our company doesn’t just build websites. We ensure that your visitors stay on your website and become your customers.
When you’re starting a business, you need to invest in both web development and design services. This is because your website is the foundation of your online presence. It’s where potential customers will go to learn more about your products or services. If your website isn’t up to par, those customers will likely take their business elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you already have a website but it’s not generating the leads or sales you want, it might be time to invest in some web design services. A well-designed website from Marketing Sweet can make all the difference when it comes to whether people will stay on your website or not.
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Other Resources You Might Like
Elementor. Web Designer vs Web Developer: What’s the Difference?
Hubspot. Web Designer vs. Web Developer: What’s the Difference & Who Should You Hire?
https://blog.hubspot.com/website/web-designer-vs-web-developer
Wes McDowell. How to Find a Web Designer — 5 Valuable Questions.
Wuhoo Digital. Everything about Web Design in 3 minutes.
CareerFoundry. Web Design Vs. Web Development — What’s The Difference?