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Today, life is all about the internet and technology and the web is playing a great role in it. Whether you are buying a plane ticket, booking a hotel, selling some products, or learning a new skill, everything is done through a website. With the increasing demand for websites and web applications, more and more people are getting into learning web design and web development.
There have been a lot of questions regarding which one of them is better, so we decided to clear up everything in this article with a detailed web design vs web development comparison along with the pros and cons of both. So let’s jump into the article because there is a lot to learn.
Who is a Web Designer?
A web designer is the one who is responsible for designing a website. When we talk about designing a website, it covers everything from visual appearance and layout to smooth usability of the website. Web designers utilise their creativity and technical knowledge of computer programming to create a perfect and smooth working web design.
Web designers work on the front end of the website and ensure that the website is easy to use and looks attractive and pleasing to the visitors. There are different types of web designers such as:
- User Interface Designer – They ensure that the website is responsive and structured in the right way.
- Visual Designer – They ensure that the layout of the website is attractive and pleasing to the visitors.
- User Experience Designer (UX) – They ensure that the website is functioning smoothly and they also improve the website’s usability.
Who is a Web Developer?
A web developer is the one who is responsible for turning the web designer’s design into a practical working website. They take the website design from the web designer and convert it into a fully functioning website. They utilise their knowledge of programming languages to code a complete functioning website, its servers, backend data storage, and much more. There are three types of web developers:
- Front End Web Developers – They deal with that part of the website, which is visible to the visitors.
- Back End Web Developers – They deal with the backend of the website which is not visible to the visitors.
- Full Stack Web Developers – They have all the knowledge of front-end and back-end web development and that’s why they are called full-stack web developers.
Web Designer or Web Developer – Which one is better?
Web developers and web designers are both equally important in the process of website creation.
Which one of them is better depends upon your interest. It’s because some people are more into web designing while some people are more into web development and that’s the best option for them.
If you are more into creativity, designing, and creating new things then web designing is the way to go for you. And if you are more into the nuts and bolts of computer programming and problem-solving, then web development is the best option for you.
Web Designer vs Web Developer Salary
When we talk about salaries, then web developers have an edge over the web designers because it has been observed that web development jobs pay more than web designing jobs.
- Salary of Web Designer
The exact salary of a web designer depends upon their seniority but on average, a web designer makes $36,500 per year. Senior web designers with good experience make $73,000 per year whereas a fresh beginner web designer makes $28,000 per year.
- Salary of Web Developer
As we just said above that there are three different types of web developers, therefore, their salaries also vary depending upon their job:
- Frontend web developers make $50,000 to $105,000 per year depending upon their skills and seniority level.
- Backend web developers make around $52,000 to $142,000 per year depending upon their seniority level and skill set.
- Full-stack web developers make $56,000 to $130,000 per year depending upon their skill set and seniority level.
Web Developer & Web Designer Job Descriptions
Web developer and web design jobs are correlated to each other. Here’s a brief description of both job roles:
- Web Designer’s Job Description
A web designer’s job is to create a design for the website. They use their creativity and knowledge of programming to create a smooth working, attractive, and aesthetically pleasant website design. A web designer’s role is more user oriented.
- Web Developer’s Job Description
A web developer’s job is to get the web design from the web designer and convert it into a fully functional website. Web developers use their knowledge of programming language to code a completely functional website according to the website design given by the web designer.
Difference between Web Designer & Web Developer
There’s a basic difference between a web developer and a web designer.
A web designer’s job is to create a smooth working design for a website and ensure that the website layout is attractive and pleasant to the visitors. They also improve the usability of the website.
On the other side, a web developer’s job is to take the design from the web designer and convert it into a fully functioning website by utilising their web development skills and knowledge of programming languages.
Required Skills of a Web Developer
Whether you want to become a frontend, backend, or full-stack web developer, here are the skills you need to learn to become a successful web developer.
Skills Required for Front End Web Developer
Here is what you need to learn for becoming a front-end web developer:
1- HTML, CSS, & JAVASCRIPT
HTML, CSS, & JavaScript are commonly known as the building blocks of any app or website, and these are the three basic things every front-end developer needs to learn. If you want to be a good front-end developer, you will have to master CSS, HTML, & JavaScript.
2- JQUERY
Once you have learned HTML, CSS, & JavaScript, then it’s time to move on and learn JQUERY.
3- Learn Frameworks
When you will have superb knowledge of the basics like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQUERY then the next step in your journey is to learn different frameworks. You can learn AngularJS and React, etc.
4- Learn GIT or Version Control
When you are working for hours on HTML, CSS & JavaScript, there are chances that you might end up making a mistake. Once you have made a mistake, the last thing you would want is to restart all of the work again. Your hours of hard work will go in vain. But if you learn version control, you will be able to go back to the origin of your mistake instead of messing up the whole project.
5- Learn to Make a Responsive Design
If your website’s design is unresponsive, then your customers are not going to be happy with that at all. You should be skilled enough to make a responsive design.
6- Learn Testing/Debugging
The next thing you need to be good at is testing and debugging. Testing and debugging are done to ensure that the website you have coded performs the exact function it is supposed to do.
Skills Required for Back End Web Developer
Here are the skills you need to learn to become a back-end web developer:
1- Backend Languages & Frameworks
First of all, you will have to learn any of the back-end languages and frameworks because these are the basic tools of every back-end developer. For example, Laravel, Django, and Angular JS are some of the most popular back-end frameworks.
2- Basic Understanding of Frontend Code
You also need to have a basic understanding of the front-end code like HTML & CSS because only then you will be able to effectively communicate with the front-end team.
3- Version Control or GIT
Just like explained in the front-end section, having enough knowledge of version control or GIT will help you become a more efficient backend developer.
Skills Required for Freelance Web Developer
Here’s what you need to be a freelance web developer:
1- Relevant Skills
Whether you are becoming a back-end, front-end, or full-stack freelance web developer, you can’t succeed unless you have all the relevant skills and you know when, where, and how to apply them.
2- Strong Portfolio
In the freelance web development industry, the clients check your portfolio before handing over their project to you to ensure that you are the right person for the job. Rarely someone will give you their project without checking a sample of your work. Once you have all the relevant skills, you should start building as many projects as you can. It will work as an investment towards the goal and help you get more projects and make more money. This is the key to be a good freelance web developer.
Skills Required for Web Application Developer
Here are the skills required for a web application developer:
1- Knowledge of HTML & CSS
2- Strong Analytical & Problem Solving Skills
3- Good command of JavaScript.
4- Strong Testing & Debugging Skills
5- Strong knowledge of back-end and front-end code.
6- Understanding of how search engine optimizations work.
Skills Required for Java Web Developer
These are the skills required to become a Java web developer:
- Good knowledge of JSP (the Java Server Pages).
- Good command of Java frameworks like spring and struts.
- Solid information about web services.
- You must know how to work with markup languages such as JSON & XML.
- You must know all the concepts of object-oriented programming.
Skills Required for Python Web Developer
Here’s what you need to become a python web developer:
- Good analytical skills.
- Strong command over python language and python frameworks like Django.
- Practice as much as you can to perfect your skills and build a strong portfolio.
Required Skills for a Web Designer
If you are wondering what it takes to become a web designer, then let us tell you that there are several different skills that make a successful web designer. Let’s have a look at all of them.
20 Essential Skills for Web Designers
- Principle of Design
You should know what makes a great web design because you just can’t be making random web design and think that it’ll be a big hit. Like playing the piano randomly makes no sense; similarly, web design should be according to some principles like emergence, invariance, and reification.
- Decoration
You need to master the art of decorating the website professionally and make it aesthetically pleasing for the visitors.
- Great Composition
A great designer has a great sense of composition. They know how to balance all the designs, colours, and patterns.
- Understand Colour Theory
A good web designer knows the colour theory and which combination of colours will make a decent web design.
- Using Relevant Tools & Software
When you are creating a web design, you need to be good at using all the relevant tools and software.
- Learn Using CMS
As a web designer, you need to learn to use a content management system because it will reduce your burden and help you perform better.
- Making Responsive Design
Your web design should be responsive because no one will be happy with an unresponsive web design.
- UX – User Experience
The visitors should have a good experience while surfing on your website.
- UI – User Interface
The website design should be user-friendly and help them as much as possible.
- Good Graphics
The more aesthetically pleasing graphic designs you’ll make, the more money you will be making.
- Good Photo Editing
You also need to be good at photo/video editing to become a good web designer.
- Persistence
There will be a lot of ups and downs, setbacks, and frustrations in your career and the only key to survive is to be patient and persistent.
- Learn to Compromise
If you spent hours on a design and the client requested a change, you will have to compromise because the end goal is a healthy relationship with the clients.
- Know Yourself
You need to explore yourself and discover your true potential. Don’t waste your time pretending to be someone you’re actually not.
- Disciplined Life
You will have to meet tight deadlines and the key to accomplishing them is to work hard with discipline.
- Effective Communication
Effective communication with the clients will do wonders for you. It will improve your relations and make things easy for you.
- Art of Selling
You will need to learn the art of selling to convince the customers and make more money.
- Care about Details
We also recommend paying attention to little details because it’ll make your design more effective.
- SEO
Search engine optimisation is a handy skill for every web designer.
- Learn CSS
CSS – Cascade Styling Sheet will allow you to bring more creativity into your web designs.
Can you be a Web Designer & Developer?
Yes, you can be a web developer and designer at the same time. All it takes is the willpower and determination to learn new things. Take your time and figure out what you need to learn and invest your time learning all the relevant stuff.