Difference Between Web Designers and Web Developers

Difference Between Web Designers and Web Developers

Some people think that web designers and web developers ultimately perform the same type of job. The reality is that they're two completely different professions with distinct responsibilities. So, let's dive in and distinguish these two occupations.

 

What do web designers do?

A web designer is responsible for the way your website looks and feels to the user. They dabble in color schemes, layouts, and user design. They are visual artists who blend the visual and technical aspects that are necessary to create a beautiful, user-friendly website.

While often underrated, a web designer's role is crucial for the whole project. Their most important task is ensuring the best user experience possible. The website should grab people's attention and compel them to stay. Above all, it should be easy to navigate.

Web designers are akin to an architect, in that they are the ones responsible for the layout and blueprints of what will become the website itself. It’s this blueprint that everyone else on the team, including the developers, reference and use for the rest of the project.

Needless to say, it takes a versatile skillset to pull this task off. Web design borrows from a lot of disciplines, including graphic design, user interface design, psychology,color theory, and typography. A good web designer needs an excellent artistic eye to be successful.

A web designer's main asset is his/her portfolio. This shows off their creative and professional capabilities in web design.

 

What do web developers do?

Web developers are responsible for the functionality of a website, using a variety of software tools. They are the engineers of a website, doing the actual construction, and making the website itself work.

Web developers are further divided into two groups: front-end and back-end developers.

Front-end developers implement the web designer's blueprint and turn it into reality. They are responsible for coding the website's pages and layout, insert images, and page linking. Their primary languages of choice include Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Javascript (JS).

Back-end developers are concerned with the way data is being handled behind the scenes. Not all websites require a back-end developer, but those that employ dynamic data need one. This usually involves connecting with a database, and it’s a back-end developer’s job to control this data and send it to the website.

Web developers, in general, are more coding-heavy roles and require technical aptitude and knowledge. Their main asset is found in their coding prowess, which can be showcased on platforms such as Github.

 

Crossover between the roles

Nowadays, there is considerable overlap in the skills and knowledge that are involved with the two disciplines. Most web designers now dabble in web development themselves. They are often more than capable of building a usable website from designing the idea all the way through executing the plan.

In a similar vein, web developers are increasingly trying to learn design principles. Front-end developers especially need to be able to know the context behind a web designer’s choice of color and layout. This requires an artistic eye or, at the very least, an understanding of visual design.

 

Who to hire to build your website

When it comes to figuring out which person to hire, you first need to know your website's requirements. Does it need a fresh look, or does the functionality need to be improved? Do you need a simple static website or an interactive one with lots of dynamic data?

For any design-related concerns, a web designer is your best choice. This is true if you need to re-design your website, improve its branding, or do simple photo editing. If you're looking into improving site functionality, creating forms or fixing technical issues, a web developer is what you're looking for.

Whatever your needs AWcode are able to help, since we have both designers and developers in our team allowing us to offer a full range of website related services. This delivers greater results than a single freelancer who may be a specialist in one area but lacking in other important skills.