Although the terms have become interchangeable in casual conversation, when broken down into details they are quite different. When you are looking for a new website, knowing the difference between a web designer and a Web Developer can save you a lot of time.
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WEB DESIGNER VS. WEB DEVELOPER: IN A FEW WORDS
The main difference is that a web designer is responsible for the look and feel of a website, while a web developer takes care of the website’s applications and functions. A designer creates and lays out the graphics, objects, and layout that the user can interact with, but without programming the interactive elements. In short, web designers create an aesthetically pleasing website for users to visit using color, space, and other graphic design principles highlighted below.
Web development is the coding or programming that enables users to click and navigate from one page to another. Think of a web developer as the director behind the camera; They’re always there, but you never think of them in a good movie. The same goes for websites.
ABOUT WEB DESIGN
As mentioned above, web design focuses on the look and feel of a website and its supporting pages. A web design agency will likely have a professional graphic designer (or team of them) working on logos, color schemes, branding, and any content you produce to ensure it suits your taste.
Software like Adobe Photoshop is an important part in creating quality graphic design services. Adobe has several software programs that allow designers to be involved in every step of their process to ensure they are adhering to these 8 graphic design principles:
Alignment: Produces a clean and organized design that makes content much more digestible for users by providing a clear connection between elements.
Hierarchy: refers to drawing attention to the most important aspects of a page by changing the style of elements. For example, if you make the preceding word “hierarchy” bold, a hierarchy is created.
Contrast: Draws the user’s attention to important elements through differences in size, color, thickness, and/or style.
Repetition: Keeps the site organized and consistent by linking different elements on the page together. This is an important aspect to establish a strong brand in the minds of your users.
Proximity: Refers to grouping or separating elements to create a logically organized page.
Balance: Refers to the visual flow and stability that a website offers the user to create an easily digestible experience.
Color: Sets the mood for the user and is essential to tie all elements on the page together. Colors must be consistent to reinforce brand identity.
Spacing: Helps highlight important information on the page by limiting user distractions.
ABOUT WEB DEVELOPMENT
If you believe that a web design agency is responsible for the website you are viewing, then a Web Development Agency is responsible for the website you are using. Web development deals with the functionality of your website and brings the designed pages to life.
The developers work with different programming languages like HTML or PHP to split the design into a dynamic and interactive website. They write code (aka programming) in a text editor, where they structure the back end of your website.
For businesses that are constantly producing content, a web development agency can turn to a content management system (CMS) like WordPress to build a website faster without sacrificing functionality. This would give the customer easy access to your content without having to learn complex programming languages.
IS IT BETTER TO WORK WITH A WEB DESIGNER OR A WEB DEVELOPER?
Neither. As you can probably see after comparing the two, it’s not exactly apples to apples. If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for your design and development needs, consider hiring an integrated marketing agency or a web agency with a team for both, like https://www.xtremedigits.com/index.php. Going this route will result in a website that is built as planned and will provide the best possible experience for your users.
