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Should You Hire a Web Designer or Web Developer?

February 16, 2022 | By: Scott Lard

For as long as websites have been around, there have been website designers, website developers, and professionals who handle both aspects of website creation. For business owners looking to update their existing website or launch an entirely new website, it can be confusing to distinguish the difference between website design and website development.

Here, we’ll discuss web design, web development, the differences between the two, and what kind of web professional your business should hire when it comes time to make changes to your website.

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Web Design

Website design refers to how a website appears visually. Design can include things like layouts, photos, colors, fonts, and more. Anything that contributes to the look, feel, or branding of a website’s visual aspects is considered design. Website designers often have skillsets in graphics, art, and user experience. Web design can be split up into different categories, including:

  • UX (User Experience) – Ensures the user can interact with and use the website in an efficient way.
  • UI (User Interface) – Ensures that graphics, photos, and typography add to the experience of a website. Examples of interface elements include buttons, menus, text fields, sliders, tags, progress bars, and more.
  • Visual Design – Ensures that the finalized website looks attractive.

Web Development

Website development refers to how a website functions from a coding perspective. Website developers use programming such as CSS, JavaScript, HTML, Python, Ruby on Rails, and others to create the infrastructure and functionality of a website’s front and back end. Web developers work with web designers to take their designs and make them functioning sites. Web developers can be split up into a few different categories, including:

  • Front-End Developers – Focus on the part of a website that users directly interact with, including buttons, text, images, navigation menus, and more.
  • Back-End Developers – Focus on the part of the website that users do not directly interact with. Also known as the server-side of the site, these developers work on the aspects that support and run the website, such as software, data, system components, and more.
  • Full Stack Developers – Have experience with both front-end and back-end development.
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Differences Between Website Design and Website Development

Aside from the technical skillsets listed above, website designers tend to be a bit more creative while website developers are often more technical. In addition, web designers tend to be more focused on the visual elements while the web developer is more concerned with function and ease-of-use. In general, think of web design as what the user can see and web development as what the user can’t see. Both are integral to a successful website.

Should Your Web Professional Do Both?

Although website design and development are often terms that are used interchangeably, it’s clear that they are two distinct specialties. As a result, not all web designers do development and not all web developers do design. So, the question for business owners who are in the market for a website refresh or new launch is often, “Should you hire a web professional or firm who does both web design and development?” The choice is up to you, however, there can be benefits to working with someone or a team of people who do both. If your website design and development team are one and the same, they can create a seamless web experience for both business owners and users. In addition, having a web designer and developer can help save time and money both during the initial design/development process and during the life of your site.

Web Design and Development at Its Best

When your business needs quality web design and development, you need to find a competent web developer that can achieve both for you. No matter if you need a brand new website or are refreshing an old one using a web developer that can do both is the ideal situation. The best way to get the ideal site built is to hire someone that has both skills and has a portfolio of design and development work you can take a look at.

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