Web designers create the look and feel of the website. Web developers develop the code to make it work. Always remember that the website designers and developers collaborate, however, their job responsibilities are entirely different. A web designers is also commonly referred to as a graphic artist.
The designer is responsible for designing the layout and visual appearance of the website. On the contrary, a web developer develops and maintains the core structure of the website.
A successful web designer should possess a wide range of technical, creative, and graphic skills. A web developer is assigned the duty of converting the web design into a functional website.
In most cases, the web developers leverage coding languages like PHP, Python, etc., to code the website. To be precise, a major portion of our daily life revolves around websites.
We refer to the online platforms to buy goods and watch movies. We tend to appreciate websites that are easily navigable and have proper design elements.
In today’s time, every user wants a web experience that’s intuitive and interactive. Moreover, the website owners want the platform to support their business goals. When the context is about the look and feel of the websites, the sole responsibility lies with the designer.
Web designers also create the menus and images you come across when surfing a particular site. Here are some important things to know about the difference between web developers and web designers.
The different types of web designers to know
Here are the varied types of website designers you should know.
User Experience designer
UX is also commonly known as the key design element of any website. UX designers work with various types of aspects to ensure that your website is navigable. If your site has a good UX, it will rank higher in the search engines. A website with good UX typically has a good engagement rate.
User Interface designer
User Interface designer, also known as UI designer, refers to the creation of graphics, illustrations and photographic artwork.
In most cases, UI designers also work with the typographical elements to enhance the layout of your website. The interface elements commonly comprise navigational components, informational components, etc.
Visual designer
The primary role of the visual designer is to enrich the look and feel of the website. Moreover, their responsibility lies in making your website look more attractive. A visual designer is an expert web designer and can popularize your website.
The different types of web developers
Here are the different types of web developers to know.
Front-end developer
The portion of a website that the user interacts with directly is known as front end. It is also known as the client-side of the application. Always remember that the front-end comprises everything that the users can witness.
For instance, the front end includes text colors and styles, images, graphics, navigation menus.
Some of the common languages used for front-end development are HTML, CSS, Java, etc. From content to structure, everything seen on your device’s screen is deployed by the front-end developers.
The two main objectives of a front-end developer are performance and responsiveness.
Back-end developer
The back-end refers to the server-side of a specific website. It stores and arranges data, and also ensures that every aspect on the client-side of the website looks proper. The back-end is the part of the website that you cannot see and interact with.
The back-end part doesn’t interact with the users. The back-end development responsibilities typically comprise writing APIs, creating libraries, etc.
Full stack developer
The full stack developers are adept in designing complete web apps and websites. One of the key highlights of the full stack developers is their versatility. They can work on the frontend, database, backend, and debugging of web applications.
What is web design?
Web design governs everything associated with the usability and visual aesthetics of the website. The web design elements comprise color scheme, information flow, layouts, etc. It is also associated with the UI and UX elements. Here are some of the common skills of web designers you should know.
- Familiarity with Adobe Suite
- Logo design
- Designing layout and format
- Wireframes and mock-ups
- Color palettes
- UI and UX design
- Expertise in typography
- Placing call to actions buttons
Web design is an integral aspect of creating websites. Always remember that the web designer works on a website first. After the web designer has implemented all the design elements, the web developer begins the process of coding.
Nowadays, it is pretty common for the website designers to work with CMS platforms like Joomla and WordPress. With these platforms, the web designers can create functional websites without the need of a web developer. In simple words, there is no coding required.
Overview of web development
Web development Softermii is all about coding that makes the website function properly. The web development process can be categorized into two processes- front-end and back-end.
The front-end of the website is also known as the client-side of the website. It would actually portray the designs mocked by the web designer.
The back-end or the server-side is responsible for managing data within the database and offering that data to the front-end to be displayed. Here are some of the common skills that a web developer should possess.
- CCS, JavaScript and HTML
- Web template design
- Git and GitHub
- Frameworks
- Preprocessors of the CSS
The designer creates mock-ups and the developer brings these mock-ups to life. However, the developer should be aware of the basic design elements like UI and UX to select the right technology.
By selecting the right technology, developers can create the desired look and feel of the website.
The back-end developers handle the business logic and data management on the back-end of the application. The programming languages and tools exclusively used by the back-end developers are as follows:
- RESTful APIs
- Servers
- Database management systems
- Server-side web development frameworks
- The programming languages for server-side development
The major differences between web designers and web developers
You are well-aware of the roles and responsibilities of web designers and web developers now. Moreover, you now clearly know the types of software platforms and tools they use to accomplish their objectives.
Here are some of the major differences between web designers and web developers you should know.
Most web designers aren’t familiar with coding
Note that web designers don’t code and aren’t aware of the fundamentals of coding. To be precise, the web designers are responsible for creating the general look and feel of a website.
In most cases, they typically rely on a visual editor like Photoshop to develop the unique images. Web designers may also use prototyping tools to design the layouts.
They are also adept in creating high-fidelity mock-ups. However, none of these responsibilities require coding.
Moreover, with the emergence of CMS platforms like WordPress and Joomla, web designers can just apply their design methodologies to create stunning websites. Most websites based on content management systems don’t require coding.
Web developers aren’t liable to create visual assets
Web developers are also known as programmers. They have the necessary coding skills to add functionality to the website. With the help of their expertise, they can translate the designer’s mock-ups and wireframes into meaningful code.
And most web developers rely on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to code the websites. It is not the responsibility of the web developer to design visual assets like color schemes, fonts, clickable elements, etc.
Technicalities in web development
Typically, the web developers need a solid amount of technical skills. From understanding programming languages to working with frameworks, they need to comprehend the basics properly.
A web designer’s role is less technical despite the presence of some research and analysis.
Web developers charge more compared to the web designers
Usually, the cost of appointing a web developer tends to be higher than a web designer. To be precise, there are more web designers when compared to the web developers.
Therefore, due to their shorter number, the demand of web developers is always higher. Moreover, programming is a sought-after skill.
It requires focus and concentration to nail the basics of web development. Web developers work with a vast array of tools.
Furthermore, you should note that you’re paying the web developer or the designer based in their experience. In simple words, if a web designer is more experienced than a web developer, you have to pay them more.
The portfolios of web developers and web designers
Note that the portfolios of web developers and web designers typically vary. A portfolio is of utmost importance to designers and developers.
With the help of a portfolio, skilled designers and developers will showcase their portfolio. Developers will primarily utilize GitHub to display their experience and skills in building functional websites.
Moreover, Amazon Web Services is also a great platform for developers to showcase their talent in web development. On the other hand, the designers have their own platforms to portray skills. They commonly make use of Behance and Dribble to showcase their work.
With these platforms, the designers can clearly show their expertise in selecting the right color schemes, creativity and graphic design ability.
But modern-day designers and developers should build their own custom websites to showcase their work. This will allow them to impress the clients properly.
If you have an upcoming design and development project, it is great to know about the differences between a developer and designer. By knowing about the differences, you can carefully select the right option.
About the Author!
Prashant Pujara is the founder and CEO of MultiQoS Technologies, a well-known WordPress Development Company in India that specializes in Android and iOS Mobile Applications. He has more than 10 years of app development expertise, with a particular focus on web development in Angular and Golang technologies.
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