If you have ever tried to hire someone to build a website, the job titles can get confusing pretty quickly.
Web designer. Web developer. Front-end developer. Back-end developer. Full-stack developer. UX designer. UI designer.
Some of those roles overlap, some are very different and some people do more than one of them.
I describe what I do as web design and development because it is much easier for clients to understand than saying I am a full-stack developer and assuming everyone knows what that means.
The simplest distinction is that web design focuses on how a website should look, feel and work for the person using it, while web development focuses on actually building the website and making it function.
Web design decides how the experience should work. Web development turns that experience into a functioning website.
That sounds straightforward, but there is quite a bit of overlap between the two.
What does a web designer do?
A web designer plans the visual and user-facing side of a website.
That includes much more than choosing colours and making pages look nice.
A web designer might work on things like:
- Page layouts
- Typography
- Colour palettes
- Spacing and visual hierarchy
- Navigation
- Responsive layouts
- Content organization
- Calls to action
- Accessibility considerations
- User experience
- User interface design
- Brand consistency
The goal is not simply to make the website attractive. The design should make the information easier to understand and help people know what to do next.
If a business offers five services, for example, the designer has to think about how those services should be grouped, how much information belongs on each page and what the visitor needs to see first.
Those decisions affect the entire experience of using the website. If you already have the development side covered and need the website itself designed, my website design packages focus specifically on that part of the project.
What does a web developer do?
A web developer takes the website design and turns it into something that actually works in a browser.
That can involve writing HTML, CSS and JavaScript, working with frameworks like React or Next.js, connecting forms, building functionality or working with databases and servers.
A developer might be responsible for things like:
- Building page layouts in code
- Creating responsive behaviour
- Building forms
- Connecting APIs
- Adding interactive functionality
- Working with databases
- Handling user accounts or authentication
- Improving performance
- Fixing technical bugs
- Integrating third-party services
The exact work depends heavily on the type of developer and the type of website being built.
Front-end vs. back-end vs. full-stack development
Web development itself is usually divided into a few different areas.
Front-end development is the part of the website people see and interact with.
Back-end development handles things happening behind the scenes, such as servers, databases and application logic.
Full-stack development means working with both the front end and the back end.
A front-end developer might build a navigation menu, page layout, animation or form interface.
A back-end developer might build the route that receives that form, saves information to a database or sends data back to the website.
A full-stack developer can work across both sides.
That does not necessarily mean every full-stack developer is an expert in every possible technology. It simply means their work can span both the user-facing and server-side parts of a project.
That distinction becomes especially important when a project moves beyond a standard business website. User accounts, dashboards, databases, payment systems and application logic are the kinds of requirements that can move a project toward custom web application development.
Where do web design and development overlap?
This is where the distinction becomes less tidy.
Design decisions affect development, and development limitations can affect design.
If a designer creates something that is visually interesting but extremely difficult to use on mobile, the design has a problem.
If a developer builds exactly what was drawn without considering spacing, hierarchy, responsiveness or interaction states, the finished website can lose a lot of what made the design work.
That is why I think designers who understand development often make stronger technical decisions, and developers who understand design can make stronger visual and usability decisions.
The better the two sides understand each other, the fewer decisions get lost between the design file and the finished website.
Do web designers need to know how to code?
No.
A web designer can be excellent at what they do without writing code.
Many designers create layouts and prototypes in tools like Figma and then hand those designs to a developer who builds them.
That is a completely normal workflow.
I do think understanding how websites are built can help a designer make more realistic decisions, especially around responsive layouts, accessibility and interactive behaviour.
But knowing how to code is not a requirement for being a web designer.
Do web developers need to understand design?
They do not need to be designers either.
A developer can be extremely skilled technically without being the person who decides what the website should look like.
But understanding basic design principles can still be incredibly useful.
Things like hierarchy, spacing, typography and responsive behaviour come up constantly during development.
Even when a developer is working from a complete design, there are usually small decisions that need to be made during the build.
Understanding why the design works makes those decisions easier.
Can one person be both a web designer and developer?
Yes.
Some people specialize almost entirely in design. Some specialize in development. Others work across both.
I personally enjoy the design side the most, but doing development has made me a better designer because I understand what happens after the design leaves Figma.
The opposite is true too. Designing websites has made me a better developer because I understand why details like spacing, hierarchy, content organization and responsive behaviour matter.
There are also moments where working across both sides makes it easier to catch things that could otherwise get missed.
I was once working on a product page design and thought I had everything accounted for. After stepping away from it and coming back later, I realized I had completely forgotten an important piece of information about the certificate connected to the product.
It was a small thing, but it affected the layout and the information hierarchy.
Sometimes design needs time away from it.
That is part of the process too. A website is not just a collection of rectangles. The design has to support the actual information and functionality the finished product needs.
Is it better to hire one person for both?
Sometimes.
For a small or medium-sized website project, working with one person who handles both design and development can make the process much simpler.
There are fewer handoffs, fewer opportunities for details to get lost and one person understands the project from the early design decisions through to the finished build.
That does not mean one person is always better.
Larger websites, applications or highly specialized projects may benefit from having dedicated UX designers, UI designers, front-end developers, back-end developers and other specialists.
The right setup depends on the complexity of the project.
Should you hire a web designer or web developer?
The answer depends on what you already have and what you need done.
If you need someone to plan the website's appearance, structure, user experience and visual direction, you probably need a web designer.
If you already have finished designs and need someone to build them, you probably need a developer.
If you need a website planned, designed and built from beginning to end, you either need someone who does both or a team that includes both skills.
You need a designer: You need help figuring out how the website should look, feel and be organized.
You need a developer: You already know what needs to be built and need someone to make it work.
You need both: You need the website planned, designed and developed.
If you fall into that third group, my web design packages include both design and development rather than treating them as two disconnected projects.
What does the process look like when someone does both?
Design and development still happen as distinct parts of the project even when one person is responsible for both.
The website still needs to be planned before it is built. Content and structure need to be considered. The visual direction needs to be worked through. Then those decisions need to be translated into a responsive, functioning website and tested before launch.
I break that sequence down more fully in Web Design Process: What Actually Happens When You Hire a Web Designer?.
Do not get too caught up in job titles
One of the biggest things I would look at when hiring someone is what they actually deliver rather than the title on their website.
Two people can both call themselves web designers and offer completely different services.
One might create Figma designs only. Another might design and build complete websites.
The same thing happens with developers.
One developer may focus entirely on front-end interfaces while another specializes in databases, APIs or custom web applications.
Job titles matter less than what someone actually delivers.
Look at their portfolio, process, technical skills, design skills and the exact deliverables included in the project.
That will tell you much more than whether their title says designer, developer or something in between.
What should you look for before hiring either one?
Before hiring someone, make sure their experience actually matches the project you are trying to complete.
I would look at the quality of their previous work, how they explain their process and whether they can clearly tell you what is included.
If you need design, look at more than whether the websites are visually attractive. Pay attention to navigation, hierarchy, mobile layouts and how clearly information is presented.
If you need development, make sure they have experience with the type of functionality or technology your project requires.
And if you need both, make sure both sides are represented in the work they show you.
Designer, developer or both?
Web designers and web developers solve different parts of the same problem.
Designers figure out how the website should communicate, look and behave for the person using it.
Developers turn those decisions into something functional.
Sometimes those jobs are handled by different people. Sometimes one person does both.
What matters most is that the project has the skills it needs on both sides.
A beautiful design that cannot function properly is not a successful website. Neither is a technically impressive website that people struggle to understand or use.
The best result comes when design and development are working toward the same goal.
If you are at the stage of figuring out what that complete project might cost, How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in Canada? breaks down the factors that affect website pricing.