Today, creating a website for businesses is not an option but a necessity, regardless of the type of business transaction: B2C, B2B, or D2C(direct-to-consumer) centered online businesses. Companies prioritize website construction and may wonder whether to hire a web designer or a web developer within their budget for new or renewal projects. To make an efficient hire, compare the differences between web designers and web developers, and find out who best meets your organization’s current needs!
Web Designer vs. Web Developer: Understanding the Differences
What are the differences between web designers and web developers?
Creating a website is similar to building a house or a store online. Imagine building a new house or remodeling an existing store. A designer is needed to create a user-customized design that is convenient, comfortable, beautiful, and, most importantly, reflects the desired theme (or corporate brand identity). There is also a construction manager responsible for physically implementing the design and building the actual house.
Similarly, website creation requires teamwork between a ‘web designer’ who designs the optimal design considering user characteristics and a ‘web developer’ who builds the backbone, implementing the design into a fully functional website with all interfaces and server features.
Determining Your Company’s Needs
If your company needs a new website or a renewal, you can determine whether you need a web designer, a web developer, or both by clarifying your current needs. Check the following examples:
- Need a new website design and production → Hire both a web designer and a web developer
- Need to renew an existing website due to rebranding → Hire a web designer
- Need to build a highly complex website with advanced features → Hire a web developer
- Need to change the layout of the website homepage → Hire a web designer
- Need to improve server and hosting issues → Hire a web developer
Specific Tasks of Web Designers and Web Developers
Now, let’s look at the specific tasks that web designers and web developers are responsible for in more detail!
Tasks of a Web Designer
What Does a Web Designer Do?
A web designer is responsible for the look and feel of a website. Their job involves implementing visual elements that are user-friendly while conveying the intent of the company or brand (the website owner). This includes designing the website layout, organizing navigation, typography, and call-to-action(CTA) elements that influence conversion rates, and optimizing the responsiveness of all web pages.
To achieve this, the web designer must first understand the purpose of building the website and clarify the team’s needs. Based on this, the web designer can design the optimal user experience and interface for users. They also conduct tests to ensure the design is effective for users, incorporating feedback for continuous improvement.
Types of Web Designers
Depending on the size and nature of a business, the tasks that a web designer is responsible for can vary. Generally, web designers can be divided into three main categories:
UX Designer – UX designers are responsible for ensuring a convenient experience when users interact with a website. This means optimizing the website experience so users can quickly and easily find the information they need, ultimately leaving a positive impression. To achieve this, UX designers must identify the target users of the website, analyze user behavior within the site, and design the optimal experience based on these insights. Thus, UX designers are data-driven experience designers.
UI Designer – UI designers handle the look and feel of the entire website and its individual elements. They evaluate various elements within a web page and determine how users perceive these elements when navigating and consuming content. In other words, they focus on individual interactions between users and the website.
Visual Designer – Visual designers work with both user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX). Their role involves maintaining a balance between aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use functionality. If there are design-related issues, such as users struggling with navigation due to overly artistic elements, visual designers are responsible for resolving them. They also ensure the website positions the brand correctly. By aligning the website experience with the brand’s perception, visual designers provide a consistent experience, positioning the website within the company’s brand strategy.
Do You Need a Web Designer or a Web Developer?
Determining the Need for Web Designers or Developers
Depending on the website creation needs of a company, a web designer or a web developer may be required. If the goal is to build a highly sophisticated website that requires significant time and effort, both web designers and developers may be necessary, as both positions play essential roles in website creation.
If a company does not have the need for full-time employees, they can successfully carry out website projects through freelance experts! Use this blog post as a reference to identify professionals who can meet your business goals and needs, and register your project on a freelance platform.
Elancer is the Republic of Korea’s first and largest freelance matching platform that connects more than 390,000 IT professional freelancers, including web designers and developers, with companies. Create your company’s website through quick matching with verified freelance experts on Elancer.
