Web Developer vs Web Designer: Their Differences You Need to Know

Skill Safari
4 min readJul 9, 2020

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You may have heard your tech fellow mates talking about or calling themselves a web developer or a web designer. You know they are two job roles but often get confused about

  • What they exactly mean?
  • How do they relate?
  • Who is a Web Developer?
  • Who is a Web Designer?
  • Is it possible to be both?

From this article, We’re going to clear all your questions and discuss the key differences between Web Developer and Web Designer.

How do Web Developers vs Web Designers relate?

Web Developer VS Web Designer — Who is a Web Developer?

· Front-end developers

· Back-end developers

· Full-Stack developers

Web Developer VS Web Designer - Web Developer

Web Developer VS Web Designer — Who is a Web Designer?

· UI designers

· UX designers

· Visual designers

Web Developer VS Web Designer - Web Designer

What is their current salary trend?

When and why do you need a Web developer and Web designer?

How do Web Developer VS Web Designer relate?

Both Web Developers and Web Designers involve in the same task of Web development but work in different areas.

Web Development — It is a task associate to build and maintain a website using the internet. This process includes web design, web content development, network security, and client-side/server-side scripting.

Who is a Web Developer?

A Web Developer creates programs to develop applications and functionality for the Internet. He/She is responsible for designing, coding, and modifying websites from layout to function according to a client’s specifications.

Typically one web developer focuses on front-end programming of a site using HTML, CSS, JavaScript while another web developer will focus on the server-side programming languages like PHP, Java, Ruby, and .NET. They differ with the following job profiles

Front-end developers

Front-end developers in web development work for the visual side of the web project. They involve in the designing part of the website collaborating with the web designers. They must be skilled in front-end programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Back-end developers

Back-end developers in web development work on the back-end layer of the website. They give a dynamic connection between the front-end and the database. A back-end developer must be proficient with at least one programming language such as Python, PHP, Java, SQL, C#, Ruby, etc and knowledge in server-side frameworks such as NodeJS is essential.

Full-Stack developers

Full-Stack web developers handle both front-end and back-end parts of web development. They have a good understanding of the project from the entry-level till the delivery. They involve structuring, designing, configuring servers, coding servers with APIs, operating, and querying databases.

Who is a Web Designer?

Web Designers work on the creative part of the website. They create interactive layouts to make visitors spend more time on the website. They plan, analyze the current trends, and design web layouts following the design principles and norms. According to their responsibilities, there are different job roles for a web designer.

UI designer

User Interface (UI) designers are responsible for making an interactive interface on the website. They use programs to enhance customer experiences like creating the screen through which the user move, create visual elements, and their properties focusing on looks and style for a pleasurable user environment on the website.

UX designers

UX (User Experience) designers study and evaluate designs to keep your website engaged with the visitors. They research and design the screen with the real user experience. They do several tests and restructure the design according to the client’s wish to meet business goals.

Visual designers

Visual designers are a combination of both UI and UX. They lead the team of designers and bring user experience through effects, creativity, and programming on the website. They help in directing the designing team and help in branding the project from the ground up.

What is their current salary trend?

Web Developer is one of the promising careers in this technology dependant world. Where this medium became the primary market place for companies to provide services. According to the recent survey of Payscale, the average salary for a Web Developer in India is ₹308,040 and it typically ranges between ₹123k to ₹777k based on work experience.

Web designers have a high demand for IT, Software, and Web hosting companies. In India, there is a huge opportunity for young professionals in IT/Software companies with high remunerations. The recent survey of Payscale says that the average salary of a Web Designer in India is ₹285,645 and it typically ranges between ₹118k to ₹634k based on work experience.

When and why do you need — Web developer vs Web designer?

If you are building a website from scratch, there requires both a developer and a designer. Their teamwork can sure bring a website to success. There are a lot more differences than you think within them. A web developer builds the site and gives a structure using coding languages to construct a logical programming website. Whereas web developers not only design the screen, they also give a brand idea into an on-screen reality according to the audience.

Simply, they are like bun and patty for a burger. You need both to get the best taste and experience. A web developer builds a website foundation, a designer makes it look and feel the way you need.

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