The Difference between Web Designers and Web Developers
Though often confused, there are as many disparities between the work of a web designer and a web developer as there is between a policeman and a traffic warden.
Both work on websites, and the two jobs are often considered as interchangeable by many without a deeper grasp of website creation. Essentially, web designers are the artists of the site; whose main job is to make the website look attractive.
Designers
They use a number of tools to create the visual aspects of the site, including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Talking to them about Base64 encoding, Soap requests and other development, or programming lingo may generally draw a blank face. Many of these designers are trained in typefaces, layouts and usability and try and get inside the companies head and understand their vision and what they require.
Developers
Unlike designers, who is generally a stylish bunch, web developers work on the site mechanics. They design everything from the backend to the way the site works.
They use a number of programming languages, including Java, CSS, HTML and SQL. They will also use a text editor or IDE, a number of browsers and development plug ins.
The Site
Without developed the site may look beautiful, but won’t function well. Badly developed sites are slow, break quite often and are a general hindrance to your business. On the opposite side of the coin, badly designed sites also mean a number of issues.
Website design not only makes sites more attractive, but also means more engagement with customers, better placement of aspects of the site that encourage selling and higher conversion rates. Good designers know where to place items for maximum effect and so are equally worth their weight in gold.
However, due to lack of knowledge of the industry, monetary problems and a range of other issues it is all too common to find one or the other of these people doing both jobs. This is often the reason why web projects fail miserably. Unattractive looking, or feeling pages mean people feel confused, bored, or wary and so avoid them and go to other sites.
How to Get the Best
Defining a clear boundary between both is the best way to get the most from both individuals in these positions and get the top site you can afford.
The best way to choose one or the other is defining what you require for the job. Some of these professionals will have picked up some of the other’s skills along the way. If you’re looking for someone to do a job that is a vast percentage development, with a tiny amount of design you may be able to get away with a developer only, and vice-versa for a designer. However, it is recommended to choose both for any job that involves a reasonable amount of both.
