Hiring a Web Developer vs Web Designer

Web developer vs web designer, what's the difference? As I'm diving more into freelancing, I'm noticing many people using the terms "looking for a web designer to fix this coding problem" or something similar. To many people, non-industry people, this might look fine for you, but as a freelance web developer, I can tell you that a web designer is something completely different. In this article, I will explain the differences between a web developer vs web designer.

Why does it matter?

Knowing the difference between a web developer vs web designer is imperative to getting the right person for the task at hand. One will know how to make things pretty, while the other will know how to make things work.

What is a Web Developer?

A web developer is an individual who focuses more on code and functionality rather than beauty. As a web developer myself, if I'm given a task to make something function a particular way I make it work. We developers love coding, plain and simple. We don't care how things look, we care do they function and with as little code as possible. We focus on creating fully functional websites and web applications while providing an exceptional user experience.

Web developers are often well versed in numerous programming languages, and we are always learning new code, including some backend technologies. I personally focus on front end development as it pertains to how the user interacts with my work and how the data is processed. But I am working on expanding my skill set to become a full stack developer.

What is a Web Designer?

Web designers are exactly what their title says, they design websites. They focus on how things look versus how they actually function. Web designers love pretty things. They know some code such as HTML, CSS, and some Javascript but mostly as it pertains to how it relates to the design. WordPress themes are created by web designers, WordPress plugins are created by web developers is the easiest way to think about it if you're familiar with WordPress.

Web designers often spend more time in graphic design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator. this is where they come up with mock-up designs for web pages, components on a page like a form, or anything else a web page might need. Most designers and developers work hand in hand as a team. One will design while the other will bring the design to life.

When do I pick the right one?

Picking the right individual is solely based on your own needs. Do you need additional functionality on your site? hire a web developer. Do you need a new design? Hire a web designer. No, you need a whole new site from scratch? Hire both.

The key is to make sure you get the right individual for the right job otherwise, you could end up with subpar work.

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://jonathon-harrelson.com/blog/hiring-a-web-developer-vs-web-designer/

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