What is the difference between web design and web development?
I remember in my early stages of learning web development that I found myself confused multiple times about the differences between design and development. What are the roles of a web designer? What is involved in working with web design? Are our web design and web development the same? Are they interchangeable terms with the same meaning?
The simple answer would be no. The role of each is completely different from the other. But let’s have a look into the different roles and methods of both a web designer and a web developer.
Web design
Web designers have built a whole library of strategic techniques for themselves. You don’t just create a perfect website immediately after reading or thinking about the specifications or the features required. You start with a scope — the focus point and the purpose that the website will offer. You would first roughly envision the designs in your head and start with a sketch or draft of the design. From sketching, web designers move to wireframes, mock-ups, and the final design. Professional web designers build the whole website in design components, with a pixel-perfect layout of all the web pages, icons, typography, and other intricate features.
Front-end developers use three main languages: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript (JS). With these languages, a developer is able to create a full-fledged website. From the main design layout to inserting images, applying different types of typography and font families, implementing animations, the flow of different pages, form interfaces, and more
Web development
Think about web developers, like those who turn the designs into a live website. Web developers use web languages and software tools to develop the design and functionality of a website. Notice that web developers are further split into two subcategories: front-end developers and back-end developers. I see front-end developers as the connection between both web designers and back-end developers, as having a little knowledge of both would allow a front-end developer to build a fully working website. A front-end developer is the one who builds the interface and provides the layout of the interaction between the back end of the website and the user.
