Web Designing –
Web design focuses on creating different graphical elements for online use. Designers may create infographics, ads, logos…but a large focus is on the visual look and feel of a website.
Some things web designers generally do are:
- Wireframe design prototypes
- Create homepages, inner pages, and landing pages
- Work with developers and project managers to build and redesign websites
They may use tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to create the elements that will make up your site.
UX design is an emerging form of web design that’s all about making sure everything you create has the user in mind. UX designers make sure websites are designed for different devices, and the layout is practical and easy to follow.
Designers may have some knowledge of code, such as HTML and CSS, but a lot of their work focuses on a website’s appearance.
Web Development –
So while web designers focus on the visuals of a website, web developers work on bringing those visuals to life.
They’ll use different programming languages, like HTML, PHP, and Java, to develop a website’s core functionality. Functionality might be things like what happens when someone clicks a button or how the main navigation loads when a user scrolls or clicks on it.
A developer may work with a content management system (CMS) to get your website online and available to users. Some common systems include:
- WordPress
- Magento
- Joomla
- Drupal
A good portion of a web developer’s work is also focused on maintaining websites, so doing things like upgrading the CMS, managing the security, and offering web support for any issues that arise.
If you want to improve your website, you should think of web design and development as two essential areas that work together. It’s not designer vs. developer in most cases. You need both to know how to design a website and have a modern website that works well for users.
Design vs. front-end development vs. back-end development –
To keep it simple, let’s separate website creation into two categories: what the users sees, and what the user doesn’t see.
What the user sees takes place in a browser and involves design and front-end development. Design defines a website’s colors, layout, font, and images—all the stuff that goes into a website’s branding and usability—and requires tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, and Sketch.
Using coding languages like HTML, CSS, and Javascript to implement that design is called front-end development. These languages make it possible for users to interact with buttons, images, text, contact forms, and navigation menus. And they’re integral to responsive and adaptive design.
Some designers code and some front-end developers design. Some designers don’t touch a piece of code. And some front-end developers stick to coding and nothing else. Helpful, right?
What the user doesn’t see takes place on a server and involves back-end development.
A website needs a back end to store and organize all the data that comes through the front end. So if a user buys something or fills out a form, they’re entering information into an application on the front end of the website. And that information is stored in a database that lives on a server.
A website works the way you want it to because the front and back ends of a website are always communicating. A back-end developer is like the conductor. They make sure applications, databases, and servers work together harmoniously using languages like Ruby, PHP, .Net, and Python along with frameworks like Ruby on Rails and Code Igniter.
Elements of web design –
In his essay, The Politics of Design, the iconic designer Paul Rand wrote, “Design is a problem-solving activity. It provides a means of clarifying, synthesizing, and dramatizing a word, a picture, a product, or an event.”
Web designers are constantly solving problems for their users. Websites should make it easy for users to go where they want to go and do what they want to do. A frustrated user is less likely to stick around, let alone come back to a website.
That’s why each web design element is in service of making the website as easy to use as possible: so people visit and interact with the website over and over again.
Layout: The layout is the arrangement of a website’s header, navigation menu, footer, content, and graphics. The layout depends on the website’s purpose and how a web designer wants the user to interact with the website. For example, a photography website would prioritize big beautiful images, while an editorial site would prioritize text and letter spacing.
Visual hierarchy: A user should be able to access the information they need by glancing at a website. This is where visual hierarchy comes in. Visual hierarchy is the process of determining which aesthetic aspects of the website should stand out using size, color, spacing, and more.
The headings in this article are a basic example of visual hierarchy. They quickly let you, the reader, know what this article is about.
Navigation: Navigation helps a user get from point A to point B using navigational tools like site architecture, menus, and search bars. Simple, effective navigation helps users find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily.
Color: Color gives a website personality, makes it stand out, and shows the user how to take action. The color palette might be determined by a brand’s existing identity or by the content of a website (like how this plant website uses hues of green). A consistent color palette helps give order to a website.
Graphics: Graphics are the logos, icons, and images that live on a website. They should complement the color palette, layout, and content.
Speed: A user’s first impression relies on how long it takes for a website to load. If it takes too long, chances are the user won’t stick around.
What does a web design and development agency do?
When you hire an agency that focuses on both web design and development, you get the best of both worlds.
First, you have a team of people dedicated to making sure your website looks modern and captures your brand identity. Second, you can be sure that your website is going to do what you want it to do.
Want an animation on your homepage? Designers and developers can work on that. Want to create interactive graphs that tell a story? Designers and developers can do that, too.
If you hire a full-service agency, your team will likely include search engine optimization (SEO) in your web design package so more people can find you when they’re using Google, Bing, or another search engine. SEO is so important because over half of all web traffic is said to come from organic search.
To be successful, your website needs to look good, create a good user experience, and be optimized for search engines. A good design and development team will make sure you meet all of these criteria.
Your web design team, typically led by a project manager, will work with you to figure out your needs and desires, so you get the website you’ve always wanted. They’ll take time to understand your business and your competitors, so you can be confident your website captures the essence of your company.
If you’re thinking about hiring a designer vs. a developer, why not both? Or, you can hire a team of award-winning web design and development professionals to get the job done.
