What is the Difference Between Web Design and Web Development?

A web developer, on the other hand, usually either has some web programming skills himself, or at the very least handles the basic client side of a web server-side code, such as page templates or Java Server Pages. Even if they aren’t able to program the page logic themselves, however, they still need to know the basics to make changes to a web page’s HTML or JavaScript code. These developers work with web designers in order to create new web pages, but web developers also sometimes work in combination with web designers in order to complete different tasks, such as creating the layout and interface for a website, implementing security features, and so forth.

There are many similarities between web design and web development and much between web design and graphic design. Both are involved in planning the layout of a site, although typically web designers will focus primarily on how the information will be displayed to the end user. In the development phase, web developers will do all of the work involved in making a web page, such as adding in images, sounds, colors, video, and so forth. Even though web designers are primarily responsible for laying out the visible portion of a web page, the graphics and style that you see on a web page are actually the result of the programming that went into developing it.

When speaking of web design and development, often both words are used interchangeably. Although the primary focus of web development is making a website available to the end-user through World Wide Web connections, graphic design is the behind-the-scenes work done during the development phase of a web site. Graphic designers are the artists who create the art that is displayed on a web site. Web developers are the ones who programmed the codes that created that art. In fact, in some cases, graphic design and development team members are involved in the web design and development process along with the programmers. This makes web development a true collaboration between many different individuals and teams of people from all around the world.