WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEB DESIGNERS AND WEB DEVELOPERS? LET’S EXPLORE

saad r

If you’ve ever worked in, on, with, or around the Internet, you’ve undoubtedly heard the terms “Web Designer” and “Web Developer”.  Oftentimes, the two phrases are used interchangeably by someone who is not familiar with the industry.  Perhaps the concept is irrelevant to a client who just wants to get their website up and running.  Or to a server administrator who has his concerns in the silicon, steel and software that power your website.  And what about the nice lady over in Human Resources who blotches up the job posting during the hiring process?  I mean — designer and developer — they’re the same thing, right?

Let’s face it, if you have the word “Web” in your euphemism, you’ve probably been hammered with questions from both sides of the playing field.  Designers will hear things like “how can we add a database to the website?”, while developers struggle to answer questions about layout, color selection, image placement, and font styles.

While this can be a topic of hot debate, we help break down the terms, what they mean and how they relate to each other.

A Designer’s Job

First, it is important to really think about each job on it’s own.

A web designer uses graphics and graphic design software to create a look for the web. This design is then married with coding to bring it to life online.

The designer may not always be the person writing the code and in some cases can work independently of the team who will take a website design live.

Much of a designer’s job is creative and uses both intuition and imagination, often characteristics of people who are considered right-brained. People in this field may continue their educations in a variety of fields but are most commonly drawn to graphic design and the arts. Designers collect work portfolios to showcase their projects for potential employers.

The best designers have a strong grasp on a variety of concepts including color and typography, spacial relationships, audience and user experience.

A Developer’s Job

While aspects of a developer’s job may resemble that of a designer, it can be quite different as well.

A web developer builds the backbone of websites, typically from the ground up, and knows languages specific to the web. HTML, Javascript, JQuery and CSS are among the tools in their kit. Developers, historically, don’t focus on making something look visually appealing but create websites with clean code and that are technically sound.

Web developers are often thought of as left-brained workers. Skills from technical ability and thinking to logic are an essential part of their repertoires. Web developers may have degrees in a variety of fields such as computer science or programming. Most employers will require a portfolio during the hiring process.

The best developers are often detail-oriented and are keen on specifics.

Two Jobs, One Goal

At the end of the day, both web designers and web developers are working toward a singular goal – to create a website or app that entices and attracts users.

To do this, both the design and development must be sound. A site needs to look good and function properly. The colors and imagery need to reflect the brand and the interface needs to encourage visitors to take a desired action.

The defined lines between designers and developers are becoming more blurred as more designers are learning to code and more developers are paying close attention to design theory. We are all beginning to see that the future of the field includes the title web designer/developer.

We would love to talk to you about your project. Simply contact us, at STZ Soft and we will get back to you the same business day, promise.