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The Differences Between Web Designers Vs. Web Developers

August 30, 2022 | By: Scott Lard

Like any project, redesigning or launching a new website takes multiple people with unique skill sets. From pitching ideas to creating mockups of potential designs to developing the site infrastructure, there are many moving parts to ensure a website design is completed successfully. 

Two important roles regarding web design include a web designer and a web developer. Both roles are different, but each is essential in creating a successful company website. Often, business owners can be unsure of what makes these roles different and which person they need for a project. Here, we’ll go over the differences between a web designer and a web developer so you can better understand their use as it applies to your business’s website.

Web Development

What is a Web Designer?

A web designer is a person responsible for creating the layout, visual style, and aesthetic appearance of a website. Successful web designers typically have an array of creative and graphic experience paired with the technical skills needed to implement those ideas.

A web designer is most focused on the visual aspects of a website, such as the color scheme, overall design style, font choices, brand imagery, layout, and design of individual pages. Web designers typically are in tune with design trends across different industries and may even specialize in a particular industry or style. 

Types of Web Designers

There are many different types of web designers out there. Each focuses on a unique or specific skill set. To help determine which web designer is right for your needs, let’s dive deeper into these roles and what they accomplish.

UX Designers

UX, or user experience, designers are responsible for making sure websites are structured and formatted in a way that is easy to navigate, engaging, and provides an overall positive experience for those visiting the website. They use data from user experiences on other projects, their own or others’, to create designs that are visually appealing and easy to use.

UI Designers

UI, or user interface, designers help focus on how a user interacts with a website. For example, any time a user clicks a button or dropdown menu, they are interacting with a website. UI designers help enhance the usability of websites to optimize how often users interact with pages.

Visual Designers

Visual designers often combine parts of UX and UI design by focusing on the visual elements of a website as a whole to make sure the design is visually pleasing and easy to use.

Regardless of which kind of designer you choose, they will use a variety of software applications to do their work, such as editing programs like the Adobe suite, as well as tools like a CMS, or content management system.

What is a Web Developer?

Web developers build and maintain the core structure of websites. Think of web developers as those responsible for the supportive framing and infrastructure of the site. Developers create this structure using coding languages such as:

  • HTML
  • JavaScript
  • PHP
  • CSS
  • Python
  • JQuery

Web designers do a lot of technical work as well as UX work. Their role involves bringing the vision of the web designer to life using complex coding and programming languages. Web designers construct the website using coding, configure the server and database, test the website’s function, debugg and troubleshoot issues, and provide support throughout the life of the site.

Types of Web Developers

Like web designers, there are different kinds of web developers. Each focuses on a specific type of web development work. The three major kinds of web developers include:

  • Front-end 
  • Back-end 
  • Full-stack 

Front-End Web Developers

Developers who specialize in front-end development use programming languages and CMS to create the front-facing aspects of the website, such as visual elements that the user will see.

Back-End Web Developers

On the other hand, back-end web developers use programming languages such as PHP, C#, Java, Ruby, and SQL, as well as NodeJS to work on the server-side, or back-end, aspects of websites. Back-end developers are more “behind the scenes,” ensuring things are operating correctly.

Full-Stack Web Developers

Full-stack developers work on both the front and back-end of websites. They use a combination of programming languages to handle both sides of the web development process.

Web Developer

Do You Need a Web Designer or a Web Developer?

Which role your website will most need depends on what aspects of your website you’re working on at the moment. For example, if you are only working on a visual change, a web designer is likely a better fit. If you are changing aspects of your site’s construction, a web developer would be a good fit. Below are some examples of common web needs and which role would be a better fit to help with those needs:

  • Creating a new homepage layout. – Web Designer
  • Building a new contact form for your customers. – Web Developer
  • Creating a new mobile app. – Web Developer
  • Revamping your business or website’s branding. – Web Designer
  • Fixing server and/or hosting issues. – Web Developer
  • Edit photos and videos that appear on your site. – Web Designer

When Do You Need a Web Designer and Web Developer?

Sometimes business owners don’t need to choose between a web designer and a web developer. There are certainly times when you might need, and even benefit from, having both on your side. Whether you need a web designer or a web developer depends on a variety of circumstances, but generally, in major redesigns or new launches, most businesses will benefit from both.

Finding the right partner in web design can be tricky, especially if you’re unsure whether to go with a web designer, a web developer, or both. One way to ensure you get the right support no matter what is to choose a website design and development firm that can offer both services or a combination of services to meet your needs. There are many web design and development teams that can make the process smoother and easier with their all-around expertise.

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