Have you ever had a potential client approach you thinking they needed a new web design but, in fact, they actually required a developer? You may have encountered the difficult situation of having to inform your copywriter that you are a developer and not a designer and that their text needs to make that apparent. Maybe you’re on the other side and have had to explain to clients and potential customers how useful you are as a hybrid designer/developer.
People frequently confuse web design and web development, especially when they’re unfamiliar with this cutting-edge phenomenon known as the internet. I write all of this without passing judgment because I was a novice myself, and I can attest to my own inexperience (and subsequent errors and misunderstandings) regarding the distinctions between design and development.
However, there is a distinct difference between web development and web design, and the better we (as creatives) can communicate this distinction to our audiences, the more effectively we will service their needs and the more robust our businesses will be.
Everyone benefits, after all, when a client visits your website or reviews your portfolio and decides with absolute certainty that you are the expert who can best meet their needs. Likewise, when a potential client looking for web development visits your website, realizes you are a designer rather than a developer and leaves without wasting either party’s time.
The “public” portion of a website—the page or pages that are accessible by visitors and customers—is what is referred to as web design. It encompasses all facets of the site’s appearance and functionality, paying close attention to both the user experience and the needs of the client as well as the fundamentals of excellent visual design. A good web designer creates websites that look fantastic and function well for site visitors.
Web design focuses more on how a site should look and how visitors should interact with it than it does on the coding or programming required to make those actions happen. Since web design is mostly visual and organizational and doesn’t typically involve much if any, coding knowledge, many (perhaps even most) web designers are not programmers, nor do they need to be. Contrary to popular belief, relatively few designers are entirely ignorant of languages like Java, HTML, or PHP.
Writing the actual code and scripts that give a website’s design digital life is called web development. Design is the “how” that comes before the “what.” Developers concentrate on how a website functions, how users can interact with it, and how to set up the invisible series of circumstances that makes a website functional.
Though generally speaking, design isn’t their major focus, they may have an eye for it or at the very least recognize how vital it is. “A good web developer implements the design efficiently and error-free.”
The tasks played by web designers and web developers are intricately linked. Although there are hybrid designers and developers, the two professions often suit persons who have strengths in distinct areas. While web engineers work more on the analytical side of things, web designers work on the artistic side of websites.
Web development and design go hand in hand, creating a fantastic chance for collaboration, especially among freelancers. While it is feasible to establish a web design company that produces websites without having to learn any coding or collaborate with a developer, it isn’t always the best option for all projects (or for your long-term business strategy).
Join forces with a developer pal when you’re given a larger or more challenging project than you’re used to. Your wonderful project can still materialize without driving you crazy by outsourcing complex development work that is outside of your expertise, and you’ll probably learn a few things in the process. Just remember to factor those extra costs into your bid!
Although they are not the same thing, web design and web development are closely connected job choices. Developers can improve their own performance with some very basic design education, while designers can profit from knowing some very fundamental development practices. But in the end, the jobs are different, and there aren’t many businesses that are effective at providing both services in one bundle.
The opportunity to provide complete website design and implementation services to clients, even those who require complicated websites that you may not necessarily know how to build, is created by designers by developing strong working connections with developers.
When you collaborate with a developer or two, you have the opportunity to refer that job to a dependable partner and receive design work in exchange. You and your developer will be able to better serve your clients if you offer an all-inclusive bundle. And as we all know, satisfied customers are the key to increased sales.
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