A web designer is a graphic artist who is responsible for designing the design, usability and visual appearance of a website. A web developer is someone who creates and maintains the core structure of a website. A successful web designer must possess a variety of creative, graphic and technical skills. Overall, surveys show that web developers earn more than web designers, but it really depends on how you divide the data.
Even between different types of developer roles, there are significant differences in salaries. Your salary will depend more on the skills you provide than on your official job. Web developers use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create and structure the website so that users can view and interact with it. These languages allow the developer to program and create the structure of a site.
They can also rely on other tools (more on this later). A web developer builds the core structure of the site, using coding languages to build logical and programmatic websites. Alexey Aylarov, co-founder and CEO of Voximplant, says he has seen cases where designers work with front-end developers on different applications that don't have code components and, in the end, this accelerates the entire process of delivering the final result to production. The work they do is not seen by users because it involves programming on web servers and databases, not in the browser (unlike front-end developers, which you'll soon discover).
Edward Fastovski, an independent developer, says: “The biggest problem with site builders is that the code they generate is often garbage. If they can understand basic HTML and CSS, they'll know how to provide a design that a developer can program. Nowadays, web design goes beyond aesthetics and encompasses more complex aspects, such as user experience and information architecture. Now that we've clarified some of the professional myths, let's see how web designers and developers spend their time.
Alternatively, you can look for a well-rounded developer who understands front-end and back-end processes and who can create the effective programs needed for a website. It's easier to think of web design and web development as two skill sets that work together to create incredible websites. There are hundreds of free and paid online design and development courses that can teach you everything from design fundamentals to server-side coding languages. As soon as you learn the basic skills that both designers and web developers need, such as HTML and CSS, you'll be much closer to discovering the technology career that will be perfect for you.
While web design is included in visual design, which also includes UX design, user interface design, graphic design, digital design, and product design, web designers who can program, especially those with next-level skills such as Sass, Bootstrap and JavaScript, have GREAT demand. It's more related to web design than to back-end development because it involves using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create things that the user can see, such as forms for potential customers. Usually, a developer specializes in designing applications for websites; a web designer focuses more on what the user will enjoy doing. Web designers had to deliver design specifications and visual elements to developers, who then converted those elements into code.
Although there is some overlap in skills, web designers focus more on creative aspects and web developers are more concerned with determining how to represent that vision. .
