what is the difference between web development and web designing?

what is the difference between web development and web designing?

People are oftentimes confused when it comes to using the terms web designer and web developer. Even though both jobs involve working in the same type of business, they are visibly different, and they require totally opposite skill sets.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the website construction business, you might have searched for something like web designer vs web developer to try and find out what the difference between the two? The web designer vs web developer debate is one that has been going on for years. Our web design and development the same thing, or are they two completely different professions?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question will depend on who you ask. Everyone seems to have their own opinion when it comes to the role of a web designer vs web developer.
This article will uncover the differences between a web designer and developer while explaining when to use each one.

What is a web designer?

A web designer is a graphic artist who develops and styles objects for the Internet. Website designers are able to tap into their creative energy and design the overall layout and look for websites. They focus on the style and overall feel of the page, using software like Photoshop to customize the website’s visual elements. They also use code like HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to create their designs.
But wait there is more. Web designers usually have a specialism, which we’ll jump into right now.
But wait there’s more. Web designers usually have a specialism, which we’ll jump into right now.

User Experience (UX) designer

A UX web designer’s job is to keep your visitors hooked. They know exactly how to craft a website that your specific audience will enjoy because they’ve carried out thorough research into the users’ demographics and website-needs, not to mention tons of prototype testing and site restructuring.
Just think, if people enjoy using your website, they’re more likely to revisit or recommend. So, you can already see how it can help grow your online community.

User Interface (UI) designer

A UI web designer helps to improve the way users interact with elements, or the interface, on your website. This is done by translating complex brand ideas and values into a website that’s enjoyable and easy to navigate.
How does it differ from UX? It’s a subtle one, really. UX involves research into builfromng a solid foundation for positive user experience, while UI focuses on the aesthetics (e look and feel) of the actual website.

Visual designer

A visual designer is a mixture of both UX and UI. It’s their job to not only improve the user journey using their creative and coding skills but to solve design issues. They also help to conceptualize a rand’s unique style or tone of voice.

What is a web developer?

A web developer is one that develops applications and functionality for the Internet. It is rare to find a web developer that knows every programming language; web developers usually just focus on a few languages. Typically one developer will focus on the front end programming of a site using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript while another developer will focus on server-side programming like PHP, Java, Ruby, and .NET.
there are specific roles for web developers, which we’ll highlight below.

Back-end developer

The back-end is where the website’s core structure is designed. These developers are experts in programming and using complex software languages like Java, SQL, and C#. The work they do is not seen by users because it involves coding on the web servers and databases, not on the browser (unlike front-end developers, which you’ll soon find out).
In short, their job is to create logical, functional websites using various programs. They also spend a lot of time testing and fixing bugs.

Front-end developer

This is also known as client-side development. It’s more connected to web design than back-end development because it involves using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create things the user can see, like client lead forms.
In summary, like a back-end developer, those developing the front-end have coding skills but they build frameworks the user can actually interact with.

Full-stack developer

Full-stack developers work on all of these layers, hence the name. The layers (or stacks) include elements from both backs- and front-end development. They can use all sorts of programming languages and they are also creative besides being technical.

It is essentially the full package when it comes to web development because they are an expert in all areas.

Conclusion

The difference between web designers and web developers should be clear by now, but you might still be confused when someone uses the terms interchangeably. There is a terminology confusion that will continue to be made until people figure out what each of these jobs involves. A good idea would be asking for more details about the responsibilities of the person when someone brings up the name of the job. This way, you can tell whether the person is a web designer, a web developer, or both.

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