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Web Designer or Web Developer – what’s the difference?

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The difference between web designer and web developer is often misunderstood. They both make a living from the same type of business. Contribute to the website creation but their specializations and skills are different. Designers and developers often work together as well. Instead of competing, they complement each other.

In this article we will show the difference between the two. This will help you understand which of the two you need to employ for the website you want to create. We will start by defining both professions. Then we'll move on to look at how they work together. We will also share the average prices at the time you have to pay them. And finally, we will discuss what is common in both professions.

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What's the difference in theory?

Web designer

Designers are concerned with the aesthetics of a website. Furthermore, usability and user experience while designing are equally important, if not even more so. Designers don’t just “draw”. They need to think about many things throughout the process. Some of these things are current fashions, norms, and most importantly, the behavior of the target audience. It's not just what's appealing to the eye. In most cases, it has more to do with the type of designs that will help trigger the right actions from your visitors. And when all this is studied and analyzed, the design has to be in accordance with the branding of the company in question as well.

Therefore, it is important to know that a designer works both on the design and on the psychological understanding of what is being designed, to ensure that it is used to achieve the objective. It’s a great addition to a company’s branding.

A designer usually handles the first step of creating a website. They think about what a website needs and how it needs to be structured. This information is vital when passing it on to a web developer.

Web Developer

The Developer contributes to the second stage of creating a website. When all the structure and expectations are defined, a developer can start putting things into practice. And even here, there can be different types of developers. When looking for a developer, there are 3 options.

Frontend Developer – If you are about to hire a frontend developer, he will take care of the appearance of the website. The main languages are HTML, CSS and Javascript. Some work on CMS platforms as well where they can handle the appearance of a website with themes and builders. In this case, much of the work done in code is no longer necessary, but knowledge of CSS, in particular, continues to be essential for making changes to the website whenever necessary.

Backend Developer – A backend developer, on the other hand, takes care of the internal workings of a website. Making sure everything works is their priority. These developers are the ones who write the most code and need to make everything work on the frontend side. Often, this includes making an eCommerce site work or even managing users.

Full Stack Developer – A full stack developer is the best of both worlds. They take care of the back and front end, which makes everything easier because there is no longer a need for communication between two teams.

How do they work together

Web designers and developers work very closely together. Both specializations contribute to the whole of having a functioning website that meets customer expectations. If a designer and developer are working together, they will usually start with a detailed meeting. This is a crucial part of the entire process. If communication between the two sides does not work correctly, it will lead to misinterpretation and a bad user interface.

A web designer generally shares the following information with a frontend developer:

– Page sketches and/or designer files

-Functionality needs

-CSS properties of design elements (such as margin, color, spacing, etc.)

But if you want both sides to understand each other perfectly, it is recommended that the developer is involved in the design process. This doesn't mean you have to be involved every step of the way. It can help a lot to include them in the initial brainstorming, for example.

Now, depending on the type of website you want to create, and the budget you have, you may not want to hire a designer and a developer for a project. If this is the case, you can look for a “hybrid”. These hybrids are involved in both processes and can help you create a website from scratch, both in appearance and structure, very quickly. They generally work with CMS platforms; such as WordPress. These platforms help them complete a website faster and less expensively.

How much does it cost to hire a Designer or Developer?

If you hire freelancers to create your website, it's best to do it correctly from the beginning.

If you pay peanuts, you will receive monkeys. Hiring the wrong people could end up costing you a lot more in the long run.

Price is not just a number. Reflects the required knowledge and experience. Keep this in mind when evaluating costs.

A decent designer charges between 40 and 75 euros per hour to design a website. A professional with more experience will charge at least €100 per hour.

The values are similar for web developers, but can easily reach hundreds of euros per hour depending on their specialty.

Demand is high for both.

The price difference has a lot to do with the knowledge and experience someone needs to get started.

It is perhaps easier to start a career as a service provider web designer services, the initial barrier for web developers is typically higher.

A professional designer will need to know the basics of interface design, target audience behavior and graphic software, such as Figma.

Although these are not easy, they are not as complicated as website programming.

Being a developer includes being more specialized in problem solving, creating algorithms, programming in various languages and planning architecture and development methodologies.

Because it is necessary to understand the overlap between both

It's crucial to understand why we're hiring a designer or developer and what we expect from each.

Are you willing to hire both to get the best result? Or would you prefer to bet on a professional who does both, using a CMS platform like WordPress?

By choosing the first option, you can shape the project to your liking. Choosing the second option tends to save money.

In larger companies, the distinction between designers and developers is more evident. They usually work in teams, which brings advantages.

Having a team of experts in different areas allows each member to stay up to date with recent trends and developments, resulting in a high-quality final product.

However, the line between designers and developers is becoming more blurred. It is increasingly common to see designers coding and developers designing.

The objective is not to become hybrid professionals, but to improve in their specialties.

Takeway

When you decide to subcontract the creation of a website and hire freelancers, you will probably ask yourself whether you should hire a Web designer or a developer. Both professions are often confused, although they are quite different. To create a website, you will technically need both.

But there are many people out there who offer both services at the same time.

If you need a new website, talk to us, read our informative article about how much a website could cost you and what to take into account when looking for a web designer or web developer.

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