Many professionals in the field often believe that the lines between being a web designer and a web developer are often blurred somehow. They both might do similar work but they are involved in very different areas. Developers build the core structure of website using coding languages. Developers are behind the working and other backend support related to a website. Whereas the focus area for a designer is the user experience with the aesthetic and visual aspects of the website. Seamless experience, great interaction and easy accessibility are some traits that are always sought after in a great web designer.
Let’s explore what makes the two unique when it comes to their professional obligations?
Some differences between Designer and Developer
Developers use the knowledge of programming and coding to breathe life into the designer’s creative vision. A reader may think of developers as construction managers and designers as architects. Both of them are necessary and have equally important roles for building a website or any software. However, both of them acquire different skill sets. A reader will get to know about varieties of designers and developers. A reader will have the information required.
Some designers in different areas
A designer works with the visual design of a website and creates the overall look and feel of it. As a result, templates are created which later on, maybe used or put into the practice. With this kind of work, web designers usually have to sit down with the clients and understand the requirements and then come up with the concept which fits with it.
While doing so, it will consider the existing branding in order to preserve a unified experience across all marketing channels. Once the concept is ready, designers make visuals. Usually, their tools of choice are graphic design software like Adobe creative suite which includes Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
With the help, designers combine together the wireframes as well as necessary assets like graphics, buttons, images and the likes. In order to do it right, a person needs an understanding of things like colors and how these work together, contrast, shapes, textures, typography and more. Aside from this, a person also needs a certain amount of creativity and imagination and other things which are considered as right mind activities.
Guided User Interface
Web or Application design is not just an art but also a craft. It not only should be aesthetically appealing but be functional as well as accomplish the prime goal. For example, many applications aim at moving visitors to take an action such as making a purchase, signup for service, jump on an email list or something similar. In Addition to this, it also needs to be easy to navigate and intuitive to find a way around. For all these reasons, application designers also need to understand the user psychology and keep on top of the latest developments in interface design. Otherwise, the end result will not only be hard to use, but it might look out of date and unprofessional.
In contrast to this what an application developer does requires lot of working algorithms and backend parts of a website creation. So how designing is different from development? Well, Application development is usually the second phase of the application of the website creation process. It is where a person may take the design and make it a reality. For the reason, a developer’s job is usually much more technical. However, there are different kinds of development works that appear when one sets out to develop a website.
Web Designer
A web designer makes a website look attractive. It focuses on the style and overall feel of the page using the software like Photoshop to customize the website’s visual elements. It may use code like HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to create the designs.
User Experience(UX) designer
A UX web Designer’s job is to make visitors hooked. A UX designer for hire uses various UX research methods to conduct usability testing, run user interviews and collect valuable research findings that will be later implemented during the UX design process. Designers know exactly how to craft a website that the specific audience will enjoy because designers have carried out thorough research into the user’s demographics and website needs. Not to mention tons of prototypes testing and site restructuring. A person may think if people enjoy using the website. It is more likely to revisit or recommend. A person may already see how it may help to grow into an online community. For some inspiration, a person may check out some excellent UX examples.
User Interface(UI) Designer
A UI web designer helps to improve the ways how the user interacts with elements or the interface on the website. It is done by translating complex brand ideas and values into a website which is enjoyable and easy to navigate. How is it different from UX? It is a subtle one really. UX involves research in building a solid foundation for positive user experience. While UI focuses on the aesthetics the look and feel of the actual website.
Visual Designer
A visual designer is a mixture of both UX and UI. visual designers have the job to not only improve the user’s journey applying creative and coding skills but to solve design issues. It also helps to conceptualize a brand’s unique style or tone of voice. In essence, it is the master of all web design trades and their specific roles which may vary hugely depending on what you want.
Some of the Design Principles
Balance: it is important for application designers for creating a balanced layout. In an application design, people refer to heavy (large and dark colors) and light (small and lighter colors) elements. With the use of the correct proportion of each is critical to achieving a balanced application design.
Contrast: In color theory, contrasting colors are the colors which are placed opposite to one another on the color wheel. You may see complementary colors. An application design offers a few other areas where contrast is applicable. Designers look at the contrasting sizes, textures, and shapes for defining and drawing attention to certain sections of the website.
Emphasis: Some information has been touched while discussing about the contrast. Emphasis based on a design principle which is founded in the intentional “highlighting of certain important elements of the website layout. It is important to note that if a designer emphasizes everything on the page, a designer will end up emphasizing nothing.
A person may imagine a page in a book where some percent of content is highlighted in yellow. does anything really stand out? This is the time to take look at information architecture for direction.
Consistency: It is also known as repetition or rhythm. consistency is a critical web design principle. For example, clean and consistent navigation provides the best user experience for website visitors.
Unity: A person will find unity as the relationship between the various parts of the website layout and the composition as a whole. It is based on the gestalt theory, unit deals with how human mind visually reads and understands information by grouping elements into the categories.
Some of the Developers in Different Areas
Web Developer
A web developer has a role to build a web designer’s concept. Web developers are similar to those who build and web designers are like visionaries. A developer usually specializes in designing website applications. A web designer focuses more on what the user will enjoy doing.
Relationship between designers and developers work very well. A web developer builds a website framework using software like JavaScript and jQuery which aim to craft a smooth-running website. Whereas web designer pours their creative juices onto. As designers, there are specific roles for web developers. Some of these are highlight below.
Back End Developer
A backend is where the website’s core structure is made or designed. All these developers are expert in programming and using complex software languages like Java, SQL, and C#. A work they do is not seen by users because it involves coding on the web servers and databases. Not on the browsers unlike the front end developers.
Front End Developer
It is also known as client-side development. It is more connected to web design than backend development because it involves using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create things the user may see like client lead forms. In a summary like backend developers, those developing the frontend have coding skills but they build frameworks the user may actually interact with.
Full-Stack Developer
A full-stack developer works on different layers or stacks which includes both the front and backend. It is essentially the full package when it comes to web development. Because they are expert in all the areas.
Some of the technologies on which the developer works
- HTML or hypertext markup language: it is the standard computer language used to achieve graphical and functional effects on web pages.
- JavaScript: JavaScript is the programming language which is used to make web pages interactive.
- PHP, ASP, Java or C++: open source programming languages which are created explicitly for use across the internet.
- MySQL: it is the flexible open-source database management system and it is the most popular choice for managing online content in the database.
While there are many skilled and experienced web developers out there, you can also explore alternative platforms to Toptal when looking to hire a web developer for your projects.
How do you get to know the need of Web Designer or Web Developer?
A person now knows the differences between the designer and the developer. It is important stuff to know because knowledge will help you to hire or learn particular skills which will make your application-related life much easier. For a quick overview, let us look at some scenarios for deciding whether you need an application designer or developer.
Do you need a designer or developer?
- If a person wants to design a new homepage layout, a web designer is needed.
- If a person wants to build a new contact form Web developer is needed.
- A person needs to have a mobile application, a web developer is needed.
- If a person needs to conceptualize new website branding, a Web Designer is needed.
- Looking for someone who may fix server and hosting issues, a web developer will do.
- A web designer will help you to edit photos and videos.
What is the cost of a web designer vs web developer?
In most of the cases, a freelance web designer usually costs between $10- $50 per hour while hiring a freelance developer which normally costs $30 – $65 per hour. A medium-sized web design agency which provides both sides of website construction will cost between $65 – $100 p/h for a basic website. In a lump sum, a person would be looking for around $6k for designing a website which includes both developers and designers.
When do you need a Web Designer and Web Developer?
It does not always have to be one or the other. For instance, building a website from scratch requires both a developer and a designer. After all, teamwork makes the website or application dream work. If a person is using a web design agency. It would be really helpful. Like most people, a person doesn’t have time for creating website pages while juggling invoices and client’s emails. Or if a person needs a website with advanced functionality or agency full of experts is a great solution.
Web Designer or Web Developer: A summary
A person should have more developed knowledge of web design. Let’s just quickly recap what a person has learned. A difference between a web developer and web designer is bigger than you think. A designer brings a brand’s idea into an on-screen reality and knows exactly what the specific audience will enjoy.
A developer is a person who builds the site’s core structure using the coding languages to construct logical, programmatic websites. However, it is just like mustard and ketchup on some food. Sometimes a person needs both to have the best experience. When building a website from nothing, a person needs a web developer to build the foundation and web designers to make it look and feel the way you and more importantly a user need.
