Many times, you have been asked to explain what exactly you mean by web design and web development. Usually, the layman uses that terms as a substitute for each other which is a practice creating a lot of myths about the two very different aspects of a business website. Understanding the meaning of these two critical terms is important if you are a professional offering website related services, a business in a lookout for a new business website or a student planning to pursue your career in the web industry. When you know the difference between the two fields and the skillsets that an individual requires to become a web designer or a developer, to make an informed choice.

What is Web Development?

Web development is a vast field and has two main branches- front-end developers and back-end developers. While front-end developers are responsible for efficiently coding for best visual design, backend developers are more focused on the functionality of the website. Each type of web developer needs a different skill set to perform their job to the best. In the case of front-end developers, they need to grasp programming skills in HTML, JavaScript, CSS. Etc. their job is to create layouts for the website and work on various impressive styles. Front-end web development is the only type of development that can work alone for simple websites. However, for complex websites with many pages and tabs, you will need to hire expert back-end web developers as well.

The back end web developers work on the way a website facilitates the user-interaction. They work on the features of complex websites and ensure that the everything from navigation to closure of any process is executed with perfection.

In back-end development, the more knowledgeable you are the better you can perform. A good hold of PHP programming is the basic requirement to pursue a career in back-end development. You will be continuously dealing with databases, web forms and APIs; making solutions that cater to individual customer needs. Back-end web developers are also skilled to make their own software and do not rely on plugins entirely to make a website more functional.

What is Website Design?

Web design is all about creativity and visual appeal. A creative web designer finds out ways to come up with creative visual designs for the websites. The whole idea is to impress the visitor of the website with pleasing aesthetics. Web designers are little concerned about the aesthetics of a website and always focus on how it looks. Their area of focus is how a website interacts with the users, usually referred to as User Design or UX.

The thumb rule of web design is to create a visually appealing website that is easy to use and intrigue the user to engage.

Different individuals gain knowledge about these two verticals. There are many experts who are honed in both the fields and work expertly to create websites that are second to none.