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Do You Need A Website Developer Or A Website Designer

Do you need a website developer or a website designer?

Written by Joe on Monday, July 19, 2010

What's the difference between a website developer and a website designer?

It seems pretty straight forward, a developer develops and a designer designs. But what does that really mean and which will you need for your website? The answer really depends on what you are looking for. If you need help with how your website looks, graphics, colors, etc., you need to talk to a website designer. If you want to add functionality to your website such as a mailing list, blog, or contact form, you need to talk to a website developer. This article will explain what the difference is between website designers and website developers.

Website Developer

A website developer is responsible for programming your application. This is the backbone of your website. You usually don't see any of the code or really need to, but the website developer programs your application to function how it is needed.

The website developer can also be responsible for coding html and css. HTML and css are used to code the front end of your website. Though it can be argued that this is a job for the website designer, in my experience the developers are usually repsonsible for cutting and coding the design.

Website developers can use a number of tools to assist in programming. In my case, I program everything by hand. All of the php applications are hand coded specifically to the needs of the application. This keeps the code neat and tight. Some programs actually add code and create invalid html and css. I avoid all of that by coding strictly by hand.

Website Designer

A wesbite designer is responsible to for front end look of the website. This is what you see when you visit a website. Most think the website designer is responsible for the entire website. But often it is a combined effort between a website designer and a website developer to create a website.

Website designers usually use Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator to create website designs. Both programs are graphic editing programs and can be used to create logos, website layouts, any print materials, etc..

Can someone be a developer and designer?

Absolutely. It's assumed that most programmers are nerdy computer geeks that have no sense of design or style. Today, times have changed. Website developers are now capable of designing and developing full web applications. And that is where I fall in to. I am a website designer and developer. I believe developers should be more involved in the design because they have a close relation to the design and know what functionality can be added to make a website more interactive.

So, what will you need?

That depends on what you want to do. Contact us and let us know what you are looking to do with your website and we will help you decide whether you need a website designer or a website developer.