Web Designer vs Web Developer – What’s the Difference?

Web Designer vs Web Developer

When we talk about Web Designer vs Web Developer, they are fundamentally and functionally two different aspects of the Website Designing Process.

Like an Architect whose work is to design a building, a Website Designers use graphic designs, logo designs and icons to create a website layout that is pixel perfect and navigate the user to use the website easily.

On the other hand Web Developers are the technical architect of website; they turn the designs into live website.

What is the Difference?

Web Designer vs Web Developers is an important match up for any website company. They are equally responsible in building a website as per the client required, but there’s always a debate about the functionality of Web Designer and Web Developer.

Functionally Web Designer use graphics and pictures to create a user friendly Web design. Whither the Web Developer’s job is to develop a full-fledged website from the main design layout.

What is the job of a Web Designer?

• Web Designers need to create best user experience layout and other visual elements of website.
• They use programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator to design the aesthetic portion of the website.
• Website Designers build the whole website with different designing components, layouts, icons, typography.
• They focus on the point and purpose of the website and also client’s requirement.
• Good experience to identify the simplest approach to attract the user’s attention is necessary for a Web Designer.
• As a Web Designer you need to have good skills in graphic design and logo design.
• Web Designer must have knowledge in implementing animations as animations make the static web page dynamic.
• To be a good Web Designer you must keep yourself up to date with the latest trend of Web Designing.
• Web Designer must follow big giants like Google and Facebook to know the latest trend in design to attract more users.

Top 5 skills Web Designer must need

• Graphic Design skills
• Logo Design skills
• Communicating skill
• User Experience design
• Adobe Animation

Web Developer

Web Developers are responsible for coding modifying websites from the layout function and as per the client’s requirement. Developers use the web language like HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and JS (JavaScript) to build the design and functionality of the website.

Web Developer’s Role and Responsibility

• Front-end Developer (Client Side Developer) is the person responsible for developing the website using web languages, and software tools. The Front-end Developers covers the elements the users see and interact with.
• Back-end Developer (Server Side Developer) controls the server data and requests.

  For example, Users submitting a form with personal details (such as creating an account) or saving article for blog or the website requires data to be saved for making it accessible at a later stage, it means that it would also need a database connection.

  So the Back-end Developer use web languages like PHP and write the database queries by using languages like SQL.

• Web Developers do not usually create mock-ups, select typography, balance colour palettes –these are usually provided by the Web Designer.

Top 5 skills Web Developer must need

• Basic coding and markup language like CSS, HTML
• Photoshop for Front-end Developer
• Analytical Skills
• SEO
• Responsive Design

Does the Web Designer need the knowledge of web language?

When we discuss about Web Designer vs Web Developer and about their teamwork the answer is yes.

The Web Designer should not only know about designing but they also do not need to know all the web languages like JavaScript, HTML, only the basic knowledge about the fundamentals or to translate your own design into code is enough for the designer to cover the fronted Development.

Sometimes to make the teamwork effective Web Designers become familiar with the languages.

As a designer it is your advantage to know about the programming languages as these affect the designer’s workflow.

By acquiring the basics of programming languages, designers automatically improve their skills. Beside the Web Designer and the Web Developer need a strong teamwork to make the website pleasing to user’s eyes and appealing to the client.

Collaboration is the key to success

Web Designer vs Web Developer, Who is the integral part of a website company? The answer is teamwork and collaboration between the two parties is required by a website company as the company works on both design and coding.

Web Designers challenge the Web Developers to push their limits in web technologies. As a result they develop a website that can amaze the users. Teamwork and planning about a design or code create new paths of designing and development.

In reality the debate about Web Designer vs Web Developer is always a hot topic.

A lot of people become puzzled with the functionality of Web Designer and Web Developer. But at the end of the day both the designer and developer work hard to achieve a single goal.

To build a website from the initial stage the designer and developer dedicate their time, skills and creativity to make the web page successful.

When the designer needs to create a layout for the website to attract users, on the other hand the develop keeps in mind how to make it functionally perfect and user friendly.

Both web design and development require a lot of specialized skills. If you are thinking of taking Web Designing or Web Development as your career, you cannot achieve it overnight.

For Web Designing you need artistic skills as well as graphic designing skill.

And for Web Development You need technical skills and experience.

As a designer you must keep in mind the client’s website objectives and then the information architecture to set a website’s hierarchy.

Web Designers may use basic design fundamentals to make the website user experience friendly. And as a Web Developer you must use image, content sliders and animation to make the static web page dynamic.