Web Designer or Web Developer: How To Choose?

Getting involved in a career with a development company in the tech industry is an exciting prospect. The opportunities are virtually limitless, and every single day seems to present new innovations, discoveries, and opportunities. Two of the most popular positions in the tech industry are that of a web developer and a web designer. Here is a look at the difference between these two career paths, as well as some of the basics that they have in common.

They Both Build Websites

First and foremost, both a web developer and a web designer are capable of constructing a site. Each one is able to build a website from scratch and have it be fully functional. A web developer would be more proficient in implementing designs for the site. A web designer would conceive of the whole project, visualize it, and do most of the planning. Both of these professionals are well aware of the fact that when individuals look at a website, 94% of the first impressions of that website are directly related to its design. That first look is a make-or-break moment for the success of and future profits from that site. Therefore, the design and the development of the site must be carefully coordinated in order for the website to be a success.

They Both Code

Both developers and (most) designers are proficient in coding, and they write code on a regular basis. HTML and CSS code are basic skills that a web developer and a web designer need to know in order to be able to work together on a web team. There are some designers, such as print designers for example, who do not code. However, generally, both web developers and web designers code on a pretty consistent basis.

Web Designers Visualize

In general, a web designer sees the world and relates to it by feeling it and experiencing it, both visually and intuitively. A web designer would have the ability to hear what a website would be promoting and would be able to have a sense of how to get that message across on the site.

Web Developers Conceptualize

A web developer, in general, views the world through a lens of science and logic rather than intuition and sensation. This mode of thinking gets the developer from point A to point B and beyond. Many web developers have the ability to conceptualize, amassing data on all the details of a project, and then creating the project until it is completed one step at a time.

It is true that a career in tech provides an opportunity to work in an industry that provides services across the globe. Virtually everyone on the planet utilizes some form of technology. And since this is an area that is constantly growing and expanding, web development services and development companies are always looking for new talent to take their business to the next level. What is so interesting is that the talents of the web developer and the web designer are not mutually exclusive; many people referred to as ‘unicorns’ have talents on both ends. With the right skills, a career as a web designer or a web developer could be the ideal path to personal satisfaction and professional success.