So there you are, starting the business of your dreams, or maybe you’re launching a foundation that will change the world, or maybe you just have a ton of those cute cat videos that you just have to share with the world… any way you slice it, you need a website. And further, you need to find someone who knows how to make that happen for you. You’ve heard the terms “web designer” and “web developer” thrown around in passing, so you guess you’ll just hire one of those because aren’t they the same? In a word, Nope! If you think of the human brain, and how the right side is the creative side and the left side is the analytical side, that’s a good template for understanding the difference between a web designer and a web developer.
The web designer is the right side. A designer’s job is to focus on how your site looks. She will work with colors, graphics, photos, layout, fonts and whatever else is in her bag of tricks to make your site look unique and fabulous. The web designer can use tools like WordPress to set up the framework of your site and then customize it with your content to make it a visual feast of awesomeness. Most web designers know at least a little bit of html or css to get them by, but they aren’t in the business of code. In fact, code makes our brains hurt. That’s why we love developers.
A web developer is a thing of mystery and genius to a web designer, because they’re all about the left-brain. They deal with the behind-the-scenes action of your website. A developer knows code, and can create some pretty amazing things with that code. Their main focus is on how your website works, rather than how it looks. Basically without them, there would be no internet. So pretty much, life as we know it wouldn’t exist. But web developers in general are not web designers, and they don’t have the skills to make your website aesthetically pleasing. To put it into some context; if your website was a car, you’d hire a web developer to build the engine for you. You’d hire a web designer to choose whether it’s a convertible or a coupe, pick out the upholstery, wheels, choose the paint color and the stereo system. It’s that whole left brain vs. right brain thing.
Both of these people sound pretty good, right? So, how do you decide which one you need to create your website? The short answer is, start with a web designer. A web designer will talk with you about your project and ask you a bunch of questions to determine what kind of site you’re looking to build. You might even have something in mind, and you can lay that all out for the web designer. She knows enough about websites to tell you if your ideas and needs will require the further services of a developer. And if they do, you’re in luck because she almost certainly has one in her back pocket. They work hand in hand. A web designer can also help to steer you in the right direction with your site. She can fine tune your vision and probably bring some ideas to the table that you haven’t thought of yet. So now, when you’re ready to start your web project, you know who to call first! (Yes, I mean me!)
Hey, I'm Julie. Thanks for stopping by!