| Website Developer vs. Web Designer | <<BACK |
These terms are used interchangeably by most people, but the fact is there is a great distinction.
In terms of creating a structure, think of the Web Developer as your Developer and the Web Designer as your Decorator. They both provide a valuable service, but the engineering and foundation of the structure are critical for it to work properly and remain standing. The Developer integrates Engineers and Builders into the project to ensure the function and soundness of the structure. The decorative elements a decorator provides may enhance the structure or feel, but don't necessarily provide great real function or stability, and promise no particular benefit for the future.
Many graphic artists have access to website creation applications so they launch their services as a Web Designer. Though they may be talented at creating graphics and may be good at running web building applications, they have no real experience in developing, running, and making a living from websites. They create what may be an attractive looking site, but often lack the knowledge and broad scope to integrate external applications and scripts to provide practical functionality, or the usability and search engine optimization that's essential for a modern website. SEO is the MOST important element of any website!
Simply put...A Web Developer "Develops" and a Web Designer "Designs". A good Web Developer will ensure that ALL the parts of your project are covered.
