Businesses are searching and employing both web design and web development companies. The terms have become interchangeable in today’s time as web companies are flexible in the way they work. If we are establishing a difference between the two, it would be based on the difference of skill set and the two different aspects of the website building process that they deal with. Web design and development services can be best described as the two sides of the same coin: the website building process.
The question arises why is it important to establish and understand the difference between the two if you are looking for someone to design and develop your website? This article will provide you with much-needed clarity on the topic.
Web Design vs Web Development
Website development refers to the aesthetic side of the website and its usability. Website developers deal with the layout and other visual elements of the website using various design programs such as Adobe photoshop.
Web developers take the design of the website and turn it into a functioning website. Web developers use HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and other programming languages to bring the designed websites to life.
Website Design: A Detailed Review
A web designer must always initiate the process of designing a website by taking in the objectives and goals of the client and how he would like his website to look. From there onwards, he can set the Information Architecture to establish the information hierarchy of the website that will guide the designing process. Web designers can start working on the wireframes and when all of this is done, can move to the design stage. Web designers can make use of the several available designs to come up with an aesthetically pleasing website that works fine on the user experience front as well.
Principles of Web Designing
Following are the principles of web designing that web designers need to follow:
Balance
It is important to create a balanced layout for a website that is pleasing to the eye. In website designing, we refer to large and dark colors as heavy and small and lighter colors as light. The achievement of a balanced and right proportion is pertinent to a well-designed website. You can’t mess up with these important details as these will shape the layout and appeal of the website.
Colors and Contrast
You might have come across color and contrast if you have ever tried your hands at editing. In color theory, contrasting colors are ones placed opposite one another on the color wheel. Web design has other areas where this is applicable. Designers play around with contrasting sizes, colors, and shapes to draw attention to certain parts of the website.
Emphasis to Draw Attention
If you try to emphasize everything on the website then you end up emphasizing nothing. It’s like highlighting while reading, if you highlight 80 percent of the book then you won’t be able to point to what is important as 80 percent of the book is highlighted. The same goes for website designing and you should be clear about what should include and what should stand out on the website. Attention to detail is important in curating a website that doesn’t take away from the overall experience of the visitors.
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Consistency and Unity
Consistency serves as a critical web designing principle, also known as repetition and rhythm. Clean and consistent navigation can enhance the user experience of your website. Unity is the overall consistency and the overall relationship between different parts of the website and how well they go together to give an overall eye-pleasing experience. The combination of the two can bring about a website that will allow users an enhanced and better user experience from a website that doesn’t abide by these rules of website development.
Web Development in Detail
Now that we have established what web designing is in detail, it’s time to shed light on web development to have some clarity. Web developers who are known as programmers too take the design of the website and build a fully functional website from it. If you think of the design as the non-functional and non-interactive picture of the design then web development is all about breaking up the components of that design.
They then use HTML or another programming language such as PHP to develop the various website pages. Some web developers use an advanced Content Management System like WordPress to streamline development. It that allows clients to update and maintain their website easily. They don’t have to learn the details of web development. They can easily learn simple steps to keep their websites in order and maintained.
Web developers can turn a static website into a very dynamic one by playing around with colors, content and tools. They can improve the user experience by making it more intuitive and interactive. The difference between web designers and developers is that of skills. Both work in the same field to make a website the best possible version of it.
Conclusion
Small companies and individual clients might get confuse between web designers and web developers because of the blurred lines and the interchangeable usage of the two terms. Web designing and development services are part and parcel of the same thing and brief research into the two will equip you with enough knowledge on the subject matter.
Some people have learned both the skills and are working in both fields. Companies more often than not have their dedicated teams of web designers and developers for particular tasks related to website development and designing. This article will help you understand the bleak difference between the two that is often misleading. You can search the internet for skilled developers and designers and can outsource your work. The pool of talent is far better in the outsourcing market than in physical places. The services are often more reasonable price than hiring dedicated in-house developers and designers.
