The Difference Between Web Design And Web Development

Posted by Naqs Tech on June 22nd, 2021

It’s common for people in the streets to use the term web designer when they mean web developer and vice versa. However, that is wrong. There is a difference between web design and web development.  A web designer and a web developer are very different professionals; every with a function that’s completely different from the other.

I too once held the false impression that web development and web designs are one and the same. However, in case you ever find yourself touring the web industry, both as a client or professional, you’ll want to delineate web design from web development.

Web Design

Web design is all about bringing thoughts and web concepts to life. Web designers take your story or vision and create a layout this is visually appealing. As such, they are tasked with designing how a website will appear and feel. Much like an architect designs the plan before a house is built, so do web designers model a website layout before web developers can begin building the website. It is the format that web designers create that is used to create the UX (User Experience) for the complete website online.

The role of a web designer is often taken for granted by folks with little understanding of the job. It’s the designers that expand the entire environment that users find welcoming. They conjure up and create a blueprint for the final person experience. This is no light job given that they have to begin working from a clean slate. All they have is a verbal or written idea of what a client wants. They then tug at this idea and transform it into usable web design. Therefore, it suffices the success of any web project greatly depends on the web designer who broke ground on the project.

Typically, web designers start their work by analyzing the scope of a website; i.e. The motive and cognizance of the web website online. After scrutinizing the scope as well as the features and specifications from the client, the designer will then sketch a model website. Next, they design wireframes and mock-ups. The final design of a website usually a layout of the web pages, typography, icons, and buttons amongst different elaborate functions.

Features of Excellent Web Designers

• They are capable to use tools such as Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator to design a website.
• They own impeccable photos and emblem layout skills.
• They are always in the know on matters of the latest trends in design technology.
• They are excellent branding masters. 

From the roles performed by the web designer, we can understand beforehand that there is a big difference between web design and web development. If still not convinced, let’s move on and have a look at the web developer’s roles.

Web Development

Once a website has been designed, it’s then surpassed onto the hands of web developers who then turn it into a live website. Developers, relying on a vast array of software, tools, and languages, build the final website that users visit. Web development is as specialized as it is complicated. As such web developers can specialize in three fields;

1. Front-end development primarily deals with building the user interface of a website. Front-end developers create the interface of a website by relying on 3 main languages; JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. In their line of work, they insert images, apply different typefaces, add animations and create pages’ backgrounds on top of many other things that enhance a website’s interface.
2. Back-end development involves more advanced programming that controls various features and interactions on web pages. This facet of development defines how the site works and how a user accomplishes different tasks using the functionality offered by the site. Developers here mainly deal with server requests and data.
3. Full-stack development includes aspects of front-end as well as back-end development. Full-stack developers are well-versed in tools and languages that are needed to build a complete, fully functional website from scratch. They possess adequate knowledge of design as well as user experience.

It is important to know that there is a difference between web design and web development to avoid holding the misconception that a web designer and a web developer are the same.