In our increasingly digital world, websites have evolved past being a brand’s online doorstep and into a virtual proxy for the business itself. As such, modern business websites must be designed to convey information and support the customer journey, all while using industry-standard best practices and technology.
Whether you have an internal team in charge of your website, or you outsource this responsibility to an agency or freelancer, you’ll need to consider both the design and development aspects of this project. While many agencies and freelancers bundle these services for clients, it’s important for businesses to understand the similarities and differences between web designers and web developers.
What are the differences between web design and web development?
When you’re planning to build or revamp a website, it’s important to understand the fundamental differences between design and development so that you can determine the resources you’ll need. Maybe one of your internal teams is capable of carrying out the project, or maybe you’ll need to farm the project out to an agency or contractor.
Let’s explore each role, the skills they should bring to the table, and some of the software and hardware tools that are trending in the industry.
Web Designers
Designers are responsible for the aesthetics of your website. They understand how to match the look and feel of the site to a company’s branding, and they can design a user interface to fit the intended user experience. They’re also capable of creating the graphics, text, and other visual elements that make up the website interface.
Web designer skill set
Web designers can be generalists, capable of all the skills needed to build an effective website, or they can specialize in any number of design elements that go into web design. For example, you can find web designers who are UI designers and UX designers, visual designers, graphic designers, and a number of other similar roles.
While not exhaustive, an experienced web designer should have an understanding of and show proficiency in:
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HTML and CSS programming languages in order to create prototypes and wireframes for websites. In the event they are using a content management system (CMS), they should also understand the PHP programming language in order to configure and customize content on platforms such as WordPress.
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Branding and marketing principles in order to translate vision and mission into appropriate visuals aligned with branding elements.
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Traditional artistic concepts such as color theory, typography, and composition.
Beyond technical and creative skills, web designers should also possess a range of soft skills. For example, web designers should be familiar with business and marketing strategies and concepts, such as search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing trends, so that they can align design with the needs of the companies they work with.
They should also be able to communicate effectively and work within teams to problem solve and deliver results according to project requirements and timelines.
While some web designers are self-taught and have gained knowledge and experience through on-the-job training, anyone interested in pursuing a career in web design should consider attending a graphic design school to earn a recognized professional degree.
When to hire a web designer
If you handle all of your website and marketing work in-house, a web designer will occupy a role that sits comfortably between your IT team and your marketing team, giving them an opportunity to use both their technical and creative skills. If you outsource this role, web designers can typically be found amongst freelancers and contractors, or as a dedicated role offered by marketing and design agencies that offer website-related services.
Small businesses and startups are typically focused on building a new website fast to establish an online presence and get in front of potential customers as soon as possible. Once established, however, enhancing and improving your website through a more advanced UI/UX may become a priority.
A web designer can also help to rebrand and refresh a website that has started to show its age.
Benefits of hiring a skilled web designer
Unless you have a trained professional in-house that has the bandwidth to keep up with modern design principles and website best practices, chances are you’ll be better off bringing in a web designer for your website build or refresh.
A professional web designer who specializes in creating modern websites should be familiar with the latest UI/UX trends to make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing to a modern consumer.
Allowing a professional web designer to oversee the creation and ongoing maintenance of your website can help ensure that your website will be:
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High quality and unique, helping your online brand stand apart from your competitors.
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Focused on the content and information most important to your target audience.
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Aligned to your overall marketing strategy and goals without sacrificing visual appeal.
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Built with modern design principles such as a mobile-first approach and a focus on calls-to-action that will increase overall conversions across all channels.
Tools web designers use
As web designers are focused on visuals, graphics, and the general aesthetics of websites, the software tools they leverage are primarily focused on graphic design. Perhaps one of the most popular and powerful suites of design software applications is the Adobe Creative Suite, a subscription-based service that provides designers with access to some of the most powerful graphic design and composition tools on the market, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator.
While there’s plenty of competition in this market, two of the more accessible alternatives to the Adobe platform, depending on your budget and project scope, are:
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Corel Solutions, for a comprehensive suite of graphic design solutions
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Canva, for a web-based and highly accessible graphic design and video editing tool that has made graphic design accessible to teams with limited resources.
Many of the other software tools used by web designers are business process-focused and often related to project management. For example, design teams will often use project management tracking software, such as Jira or Trello, paired with a centralized file-sharing solution to communicate and collaborate on project deliverables, progress, and budgeted timelines.
Web Developers
If web designers are responsible for creating the framework and digital foundation for your business, then web developers are responsible for installing the digital plumbing and wiring. Web developers build out the core operational structures that support a website’s functionality.
Web developer skill set
A web developer’s skill set depends heavily on which aspect of the website they focus on.
Front-End Developers
Taking the visual roadmap created by the website design team, front-end developers are the programmers who bring those visuals to life using HTML, CSS, Java, and JavaScript, or other coding languages, like Python.
Front-end developers also work with whichever content management system is in place, such as the popular platforms WordPress or Wix. They work directly with the public-facing side of the interface and often work hand-in-hand with a web design professional or team.
Back-End Developers
In order to provide functionality like user management, memberships, customer records, and other data-driven functions, websites need to be able to access and store information across databases and servers. Using database languages to manage the information flow such as SQL, Ruby, and C#, back-end developers are concerned with under-the-hood functionality and ensuring that the website has the software in place to drive the interface on the client side.
Full-Stack Developers
When you need a full, end-to-end website service provider, you need a full-stack developer. These individuals can build out front- and back-end systems and they are also versed in configuring servers and creating application programming interfaces (APIs), which allow websites to pull data and information from other online sources across the web.
When to hire a web developer
As with web designers, the choice between hiring a full-time web developer to join your team or outsourcing to an agency will depend largely on your team’s capacity and capabilities. In either case, a professional web developer should be looped into a project when you need to improve your technical SEO or when you need to ensure that your website is ADA-compliant, for example.
Web developers are also crucial in ensuring that your website is running as efficiently as possible to meet the demands of modern consumers. For example, as devices evolve and user behaviors change, websites will need to be built around voice search and voice interaction with users. Along with these technical advances, a website still needs to load quickly and function seamlessly across different devices.
Benefits of hiring a skilled web developer
Because experienced web developers can execute the design and maintenance of your website so effectively, you’re freeing up funds and resources to dedicate to brand growth and customer engagement.
Skilled web developers can also leverage the latest technologies to build secure and stable websites that will protect your customer data. This is crucial because small businesses are held responsible for protecting customer data, and a professional web developer will build this protection into your site.
Tools web developers use
Web developers work alongside web designers to execute the requirements laid out by the organization they’re working on behalf of. This includes both website functionality and its contents. Once marketing has created the content and laid out the design of the site, the front- and back-end development teams take over to flesh out the interface and bring the site to life.
The project management tools discussed above are vital to the development team as well for the same reasons. Jira is a leader in this space, but far from the only option. In order to collaborate with other programmers, software developers will also use Github, a popular repository that provides public and private collaboration tools for software development projects.
Developers write the code that makes a website function, and as such will often leverage integrated development environments (IDEs) in their process to create and organize the code elements. Microsoft’s Visual Studio is one of the most well-known IDEs, but there are also a number of open-source solutions that developers can use to keep their code organized.
With more than 40% of all websites on the internet built using WordPress1, developers absolutely must understand the technical aspects of WordPress and other CMS platforms, along with their associated plug-ins and widgets, as well.
FAQ
At a glance, here are some of the major questions that businesses might have about web design and web development, along with answers.
Is a web designer the same as a web developer?
Because the two roles work side-by-side throughout the website build process, and more companies are outsourcing the construction of websites to agencies, web design companies, and agencies often bundle these two services together as a single offering. However, from a technical standpoint, these two roles are fundamentally different and require their own unique skill sets.
Can a web designer be a web developer?
The short answer is yes, one person can have the skills, knowledge, and expertise to act in either role or both roles on a given project.
The important thing to understand when engaging a professional to build and manage your company’s website is that you know their experience and background. It is possible to have the experience and training to successfully perform either role. However, as the client, you should consider the time and effort it takes to not only design and build the front end of your website, but also to build, test, and maintain the back-end databases and infrastructure that keep your site up and running.
Hiring a single individual to work in both roles might seem like a cost-effective solution, but you will likely save time and money in the long run by dividing the work between design and development. The final result will benefit from the expertise and focus in each discipline, while a project executed by a single generalist might take longer and lack the polish and care of a concerted effort.
Do web designers write HTML?
Building a website from scratch, rather than using content management systems such as WordPress, typically requires the use of HTML and associated languages such as CSS and JavaScript. Many visual elements of websites can be brought to life using code rather than other data-heavy assets that could slow down a website. A combination of HTML and other languages also allows designers to build responsive web pages that can be viewed correctly on multiple devices and screen sizes.
What degree should a web designer have?
Professionals that create website frameworks and UI/UX need to be proficient in a wide array of multidisciplinary skills in order to create effective, attractive websites.
Because web designers are often responsible for the visual and aesthetic aspects of a website, a background in graphic design or multimedia design would be very helpful. Even traditional art degrees are applicable for aspiring web designers, as that background provides the necessary understanding of color theory and artistic composition that can be applied to the visual elements and layout of a website.
While web developers may need more technical skills to create websites professionally, web designers can also benefit from a formal education in web design and development; programming languages such as HTML, PHP, or CSS; and even a minor in computer science.
These technical skills can help skilled designers to understand the advantages and limitations of various programming languages and platforms used in web design. By understanding the underlying framework of a given project, web designers can in turn craft assets around that framework more effectively and assist with executing the overall design and structure of the project.
Should I hire a web designer or developer?
Whether you need a website built or modified, you’re still going to need to involve both designers and developers at some point. While this might be obvious for a new site build, it’s also necessary for changing or updating your website because of how the various layers interact and work together to bring your website to life.
That said, you can take a modular approach to building your site or find an agency that handles the whole process, depending on your specific needs and budget. There are four general levels of service providers you can engage in the building or modification of your website:
Small Business Web Design Agencies
These agencies often specialize in a single industry or a specific type of service and generally keep costs down by using a content management system (CMS) to allow a focus on design while automating the bulk of development through the CMS tool.
This is a good option for small businesses or organizations that have a limited budget but need to get a website up and running as soon as possible for customer engagement.
Web Development Agencies
A custom web development agency is a good fit for situations where a CMS-built website can’t meet your business needs and you have the capital to create a customized website.
A custom-built website will stand out as unique from your competitors who are using template-based CMS websites. Custom web development agencies are appropriate for small businesses, but can typically meet the needs of larger, more established businesses as well.
Marketing Agencies
If you’re looking to align your website functionality to your overall marketing strategy, then a full-service marketing agency is your best solution. These agencies tend to best fit the needs of mid-sized organizations looking to scale and grow their business.
A full-service marketing agency will be an active participant in the design and development of your site. The agency team will work to align your entire workflow and inbound lead conversion strategy around the buyers’ journey and the interfaces they create.
Advertising Agencies
A one-stop solution for large Fortune 500 companies that need competitive branding and imaging in order to remain relevant in their industry, large ad agencies can build out full, market-tested user experiences.
Their goal is to design a website that is fully integrated with the branding of the client and supports the advertising, public image, and user applications that make up their clients’ digital real estate portfolio.
Getting the most out of your website
If you’re just getting your legs under you as a business, you might be wondering exactly how you should bring in the talent to design and launch a website.
If you take a quick look around at what the competition is doing, you’ll see that very few, if any, businesses are taking on such projects in-house. Instead, they are allowing their staff to focus on increasing sales while contracting the website build and design to outside professionals.
Find a service provider to handle the strategic design and implementation of your website and over time you’ll find that your lead conversions will increase and, because you focused on growing your business, your ability to meet the needs of your clients in unique and exciting ways will set you apart as a preferred solutions provider in your industry.
This article has been updated. It was originally published in May, 2021.