Website designer Vs Website Developer - What's the Difference?

  

Many people use the two terms “web developer” and “web designer” interchangeably, but fact is both of them have different meanings. A website designer works with graphics and graphic design software (For instance, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) to create appearance for the web. This design is then merged with coding to make it live online. The designer always may not be the one writing the code and in many cases can work independently of the team who makes website design live.

A designer’s job is creative and uses both imagination and intuition, often characteristics of someone who is considered as right brained. Someone in this industry may continue his or her study in a variety of fields but is most commonly focused on the arts and graphic design. Website designer accumulate work portfolios to show their projects to potential employers. The best designers possess a strong knowledge on a various concepts including color & typography, audience, user experience and special relationships.

While aspects of a web developer’s job may look like that of a website designer, it can be quite different from each other as well.A web developer is the builder of the backbone of websites and knows languages related to the web. Javascript, JQuery, HTML, and CSS are among the tools in developer’s kit. Web Developers generally don’t focus on making something look visually attractive but make websites with clean code which are technically sound.

Web developers are often considered as left brained workers. Skills from thinking to logic and technical ability are an essential part of developer’s repertoires. Web developers may have degrees in fields like programming or computer science. Most employers asks for a portfolio during the hiring a web developer. The best developers are keen on specifics and often detail oriented.

Both website developers and website designers are working toward a particular goal to create a website that attracts users. To do this, both the design and development have to be sound. A site needs to look appealing and function properly. The imagery and colors need to reflect the brand and the interface needs to attract visitors to take a desired action. The defined lines between website developers and website designers are becoming fuzzier as more web designers are learning to code and more web developers are putting close attention to design theory. 

One of the toughest parts about website development and website design can be communicating and working together in a way that everyone understands. There is jargon on each side which can make working together hard if he or she don’t consider his or her words carefully. So, all of these differences prove that website designer and website developer are two different roles or jobs.