Web Design Vs. Web Development – Is there a difference between the two?

Creating a personalized online experience is no mean feat. It requires skills, knowledge, and experience to create a web product that meets the user’s requirements. A web design company provides the services of web designing and web development to different businesses. In today’s online world, web design and web development are the most often discussed terms. But both terms are used interchangeably. That is not the case, as there is a difference between the two terms.

Let’s discuss web design and how it differs from web development. So let’s dive into detail into this topic and know their roles and how they help your business to create an online presence and enable your business to reach out to its target audience.

A web design company can provide you with the best web development services and web application development services. The company will create a responsive design keeping in mind the brief provided and the feasibility of the mobile-friendly development based on different factors.

What is web design?

In simple language, website design is the look and feel of a website and the online existence of a business. It is how the users feel about the business’s online presence. On the contrary, web development is a technical arena that includes all the intricate details of web application development for the company.

Web design creates the look and feel of the website using tools that help them unleash their creativity in the visual elements. The web development service includes converting that design into reality using programming languages and coding.

More about Web Designing

Designers create the wireframe and are involved in prototype design services. The wireframe and prototypes are the building blocks of a website or app with which designers create a better user experience.

Wireframe:

Firstly, the web designers work on the web design wireframes- the rough sketches of the website framework that will give the idea of the graphic design elements. The markings are shown using placeholders. They give a basic idea of how the website will eventually look after the visual elements are integrated. Using different elements, the designers present the sketch of the website, which developers have to make work and
render them fully-functional. It is noteworthy that the wireframe design services do not include text, images, and videos.

Prototype Design services:

The web designer creates prototypes before handing the design over to the web developers. The prototype is a rough product that will be tested multiple times to create a flawless, attractive, and functional product.

73% of companies use web design to differentiate between their brands. They offer unique products to the users with unique looks, and better functionality with the aim to offer an enhanced user experience.

Web Development Service: A skill in high demand!

Do you know that as per a survey by SWEOR a whopping 88% of online customers choose not to visit a website again following a bad user experience(UX)? The web designer ensures that the product offers a great UX which reduces bounce rates.

As per Blue Corona, 48% of users consider the design while measuring a website’s credibility. So, a good website design is instrumental in winning the user’s trust and converting the leads into customers.

What do web designers do?

By knowing what web designers do we can clearly understand what web design is. They work on different visual elements to achieve an overall look of the website or app. Today web designers rely on advanced UX tools. They work on elements that include typography, layout, images and colors, fonts, and the combined look that creates the complete interface of the web product.

The designer will ensure consistency and uniformity across the entire product. It’s easy on the eyes and does not distract the users. It helps to retain attention to the elements and create a likable online presence. Web designers design the information- its appearance and focus on how the content will be displayed on the website or app. A basic understanding of color therapy and the arranging of the visual elements are required to achieve a specific pre-decided look.

Skills of the web developer

Web development has witnessed exponential growth due to the surge in demand for online presence. Today more and more brick-and-mortar businesses want to move online. Here are a few skillsets that web developers possess

• Deep knowledge of Front-end languages/frameworks such as Javascript, ReactJs, CSS, HTML, etc.
• Deep knowledge of Back-end languages/frameworks such as PHP, Laravel, WordPress, Spring Boot, Python, NodeJS, etc.
• Good understanding of relational databases and the technologies around it
• Using code editors to create functional websites and integrate visual elements.

Skills of a web designer

• Knowledge of using graphic design software such as Figma, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
• Familiar with professional designing and creating wireframes and prototypes
• Good knowledge of Design Systems
• Decent knowledge of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Similarities between a web designer and a Developer

Both professionals work on creating a web product – they create websites and apps with their respective sets of skills. Web designers are creatively inclined and use tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma and others. They have a background in visual arts and are trained to create designs based on a combination of different elements. Web developers also work on developing the web product- a website or an app but have technical knowledge for coding and are familiar with programming languages.

Differences between a web designer and a developer.

There are some key differences between a web designer and a web developer. They both have crucial roles in creating website development and web design. Web designers are creative people who infuse creativity into a web product in the visual elements. Every website looks different -distinct colors, fonts, and image arrangement. Designers bring their creative talent to the table and create distinct-looking websites. Also, they take into account the brand voice and create visual elements that sync with the brand voice.

With a sense of uniformity and consistency, designers create bespoke designs that match individual business requirements. They focus on aesthetics and create a particular look and feel for the website. They work on creating appealing and responsive designs that enhance the visual elements of the website or app.

On the contrary, the web development team is technical in nature that looks into the technological aspects of the web development service. They develop websites using different programming languages and build sites on frameworks that are technically and financially feasible for the company. The web developers are focused on developing the front-end and back-end of the website.

Web developers are technically sound and often have a background in programming languages. After receiving the design from the web developers, the developer starts coding and converts the responsive design into reality. Part of their responsibility also includes scalability, testability, and flexibility to make websites future-proof.

Types of Web Designers & Developers

Different types of web designers with specialties in different domains work in sync to create the perfect design. We’ll find web designers specializing in User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), and Visual/ Graphic Designers. Web Developers have specialties such as Front-end, Back-end, and Full-stack developers.

Why do web designers and web developers have to work in tandem?

Both web designers and web developers have to work together on a product. The world of the designers precedes that of the developers. The designing team produces a layout and the framework of the web products using different tools such as Figma, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. The developers convert the design into reality by building the website/app on the chosen framework and programming language. Today different programming languages are opted for developing websites and apps. The most popular are HTML, PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, and Python.

The designers design the graphical and visual elements, and developers are responsible for converting those designs into reality using different software frameworks/ libraries to build applications. They use different frameworks for web application development like Ruby on Rails, Angular, ReactJs, NodeJs, Laravel, CodeIgniter, WordPress, etc.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is inferable that the role of web designers and web developers is distinct. They have specific job roles, and their work is not interchangeable. If you need web designers or developers, you need to rely only on experts who can provide you with high-quality web design and development services. As digital business acceleration will continue to sweep the business landscape and further increase the demand for custom web designing and development solutions worldwide, you need a web design company that can offer you web application development that meets your unique business requirements.

Rollout Technologies is a reliable web development company that serves many businesses in Canada. We adopt a customer-centric approach and provide mobile-friendly development services. We understand our client’s brief and with thorough research produce compelling website designs based on the client’s demands. Our web designers and web developers collaborate and offer web application development products that are in sync with the brand’s voice. Our testing team works proactively to ensure the final product meets the client’s expectations.

Contact development experts and create your unique business identity to reach your target audience.