When you’re looking to hire someone to build a website and you are searching online or asking people for referrals, you might be directed towards a “web designer” and a “web developer.” Many people use these terms interchangeably, assuming that “web designer” and “web developer” are two different names for the same job. However, this is not the case as a web designer and a web developer play vastly different, yet essential, roles in creating a website.

What is a Web Designer?

A web designer is one of the first people you will encounter when having a website built. They are the creative engine behind the website’s look and feel. They will visualize:

• how the website pages and infrastructure should be organized
• what the homepage will look like
• what the secondary and tertiary pages will look like
• how will the brand colors be used on the site
• where call-to-action and graphic elements should be placed
• other design aspects of the website

Your web designer will be the one presenting you with mockups and discussing the creative vision they have for your website. Like an architect, they are essentially providing the blueprint for how the finished product will look.

What is a Web Developer?

A web developer comes in after the design has been approved. The web designer will hand off the approved design to the web developer, who will get to work creating the website. The developer will:

• download the necessary software for the build
• set up and utilize space on a server
• use the design documentation and their coding knowledge to build the website
• perform quality control to ensure that all components of the website are working properly
• implement any feedback that comes from website reviews by the client

The web developer takes the design and makes that vision a reality, much like a construction crew would do with an architect’s blueprint.

As you can see, these are two very different roles in the website building process, but a good website professional can perform both at a high level, and that’s what you’ll get with Black Lion Websites. I excel at both the design and development phases, and will be responsible for both when you hire me to build your website. Contact me today, and let’s get started!