You’ve come to the web design and web development guide you were looking for. You may be wondering the difference between a web designer and a web developer or whether it’s worth hiring an experienced web designer to create your website. It can be very confusing, but I’ll help clear up any confusion in this article.

What is a Web Designer?

Web designer designs websites by creating layouts of pages HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. They often use Adobe Photoshop or Sketch (or other similar programs) to create graphics that complement their layout designs and make their site look visually appealing.

A web designer may or may not know coding languages, but this is good to know before hiring. They should know at least one like HTML and CSS. It can be a challenge if they don’t know any because you have to depend on them to relay your web design specifications to the web developer.

What is a Web Developer?

A web developer builds websites from scratch using programming languages like PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. They are responsible for ensuring that web pages work when they go live (getting all the pictures to show up in the right order, for example). Also, web developers make web applications like online games using programming languages and frameworks. A web developer may also be familiar with web design, especially if working with a web designer who knows coding languages. For example, web developers often know HTML and CSS to modify web page elements or graphics when needed.

What’s the Difference?

The main difference between web designers and web developers is that web designers focus on web design and work on web functionality. Web designers make web pages look great, and web developers make them function correctly. When you hire a web designer to design your website, it’s best to have a solid outline of what you want in advance, so the web designer has a clear idea of what they are designing. It would help if you also had web developers to work with to get your web design up and run quickly because web designers may not be able to do this themselves.

A web developer will have to work with your web designer to help implement the web design. For example, if you want a web page header that is black and where every other word has an orange font color, this may be challenging for web designers who don’t know coding languages. To do this, they would either have to hire a web developer to code this web page header or hire a web designer who knows coding languages well. If they do the former, you’ll need web developers on your team to implement web pages before launch.

So What is a Web Designer Versus Web Developer?

In one sentence: web designers design websites, and web developers build websites. The web designer vs. web developer difference is the web designer creates layouts of pages using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. In contrast, the web developer builds websites from scratch using programming languages like PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. However, web designers and web developers work closely together to build web pages. It’s not uncommon for web designers to code and writes the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for web pages using a web developer. Thus, a web designer with coding skills is often called a “full stack web designer” or web developer.

How Much Do They Earn?

Web designers and web developers can make a living from their web designing work; however, web developers usually have more growth opportunities. As the web continues to grow, so does the need for new web applications. These web applications are built with web developers in mind.
Web designers can also make a good living from web design. Still, they may need to moonlight as web developers since web design is becoming more complex, and web developers usually have better growth opportunities.

So Who Has the Better Job?

The truth is both web designers vs. web developers have great job opportunities as web designers are in demand. In addition, with web designer vs. web developer on the rise, we will need web developers to help web designers build web design templates from scratch, making both web designers and web developers valuable employees for growing companies.

When you’re hiring a web designer or web developer, it can seem like an intimidating task. However, web designers vs. web developers are valuable assets to any web design team. Web designer vs. web developer is all about gaining expertise on specific web elements for both jobs. In addition, the web itself continues to grow, and with the need for new web applications, more job opportunities for web developers and web designers alike will come. So before you hire web designers or web developers, consider the web designer vs. web developer differences and make sure to hire web designers who know how to code.

Web Designer vs. Web Developer – What to Consider

If you are asking whether it’s worth hiring an experienced web designer to create your website, the answer is yes. The web developer or freelancer you hire will help further your business goals and make more money for your web-based business. In addition, if you’re looking at how your company can leverage SEO strategies or marketing campaigns that drive sales online, contact our SEO team of experts today! Our professionals would be happy to help create a stellar plan explicitly tailored to your business goals, so don’t hesitate to contact us now!

Future of Web Design and Development

Web design and web development are both growing fields, with several opportunities for web designers and web developers. This is primarily because web designers are becoming more specialized, and web development continues to grow into various other disciplines like web marketing, social media, and web analytics.

Conclusion

The web developer vs. web designer debate has been ongoing since the first introduced web design. The fact remains that both professions are beneficial to your business. With web designers, web developers, and web development companies specializing in various areas related to the web, web design will continue to grow with new and innovative web applications.

Web designer vs. web developer is all about gaining expertise on specific web elements for both jobs. The web itself continues to grow, and with the need for new web applications, more job opportunities for web developers and web designers alike will come. So before you hire a freelancer or agency partner, consider the differences between hiring an experienced full stack Web Designer as opposed to just a Web Developer.