Web Designer vs Web Developer

The words ‘web design’ and ‘web development’ are often used interchangeably, when in fact the two mean very different things. Why should it matter, you ask? Well, if you are looking to redesign your website, or make a new one, you should know what to ask for. Web design and web development entail two very different parts of the website building process.

In a world where people increasingly use these terms as if they were synonyms, and come across people who claim to be both designers and developers, it could not be more confusing. Who’s right, who’s wrong? We’ll break it down for you here.

What is Web Design?

Web design entails the front-end production of a website, or the area the user interacts with. It encompases things such as interface design, page layout and search engine optimization. The focus is on the user experience, and in creating a site that users will want to navigate in.

Often called architects of the web, a web designer deals with the aesthetics of the website. They put together the principles of design to create a site that looks great and is visually appealing. A web designer should then know about color schemes and how to use software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Dreamweaver to create stunning graphics. As well, they should know how to apply the design principles like balance, movement and pattern and understand usability. Therefore, web designers are often described as right-brained – individuals who are good at tasks that require creativity, imagination and intuition.

See more: Why Good Web Design is Important for Your Business

While some web designers only do the design and not the coding part of the website, this is quickly not becoming the case. A good web designer should know the basics of HTML and CSS, important coding languages to achieve goals such as usability and performance, all which amount to user experience.

What is Web Development?

If web designers are the architects of the web, web developers are the builders of the web, which deal with the back-end, or non-design aspects of a website. Web development encompases things like web content development, coding and network security configuration. Most recently, the creation of content management systems or CMS have also come under the tasks and definition of a web developer.

The focus of a web developer is on the functionality and compatibility of a website. Web developers take the designs and make it into a functioning website. In order to do so, they use a series of programming languages, such as ASP, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, and the more known languages that web designers also know, like HTML and CSS.

Can you be a web designer and a web developer at the same time?

Most definitely! These are not mutually exclusive; in fact, most designers know about HTML and CSS nowadays. Likewise, developers know about making a visually stunning website. Part of the confusion many have regarding web designers and developers is that they do both design (front-end) and develop (back-end). That’s how we roll at CodeTactic for example. We take care of both processes – web design AND web development.

At CodeTactic, we don’t just stop at one thing – we are both designers and developers. Not only will we design a website that is beautifully crafted, but we will make sure it is responsive and contains the proper SEO tactics to get it page noticed by Google. Additionally, we are also SEO and digital marketing experts, which can not only optimize your page, but provide you with high quality content, an important component to the SEO process.

You can check out affordable web design plans here, which starting at only $19/mo are comprehensive and all-inclusive.