Technology makes the world spin. In the modern world, things like smartphones, computers, and the internet have changed our lives, and we rely on different aspects of technology to guide us through almost every single part of the daily grind.
The internet is something that nearly all of us use daily. It allows us to browse our favourite websites, connect with friends and family, and purchase goods from the comfort of our homes, among other things.
However, many of us don’t realise just how much work goes into creating a high-quality website. People like web designers and web developers can spend hours putting a single page of a website together, and large sites are usually built by large teams.
As someone who is heavily involved in the website creation industry, I’m often asked what the difference between web designers and web developers is. I decided to put this article together to answer this question. Enjoy!
What Is A Web Designer?
To put it simply, a web designer is anyone who works on the actual design process when building a website. The designer and developer could be the same person, but it’s more common to have separate design and development teams.
Web designers have numerous responsibilities, including:
- Drafting an attractive layout for a website.
- Deciding what elements to include and where they should be placed.
- Ensuring a website’s design is consistent throughout.
- Creating a balanced layout that will appeal to users.
Generally, web design teams will create a website draft or blueprint, which is then passed on to the development team. Usually, designers will also work alongside the developers to make sure that the correct elements are being placed in the right places. Small design tweaks can be made while the site is being developed.
What Is A Web Developer?
Essentially, a web developer is a programmer who takes a design blueprint and transforms it into a fully functioning website. Generally, developers create custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to make sure the website does what it’s supposed to.
Some of the main things a web developer has to do include:
- Creating custom code that defines a website and the way it works.
- Making sure that they remain consistent with the provided design document.
- Integrating various parts of a website, including the user interface (the part that you see when you browse the internet) and various databases.
- Ensuring the website is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices.
- As you can see, the web developer is the person who actually takes a web design blueprint and turns it into a working product.
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Although web design and web development are often used interchangeably, they are actually two quite different processes.
Web design usually involves the creation of a website plan or blueprint which details exactly what a site is going to look like and how it should function. Meanwhile, web development involves the implementation of this plan and the creation of the desired website.
