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What’s the difference between web design and web development?

25 June 2012

Everyone who has got an access to the Internet should get an idea of the websites and their various formats available today. There is a big amount of users who doesn’t even know how these websites came to live and what steps had to be taken to create those web pages. If I had to give a simple answer, I would say that this process can be carried out through the help of numerous software programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Dreamweaver, but in all honesty it’s hardly the way. The applications mentioned above are just the basic tools required to simplify the site construction.

If you get interested in researching this field further on, you will soon find out that there are two distinctive terms such as “web design” and “web development” which sound almost the same. Often times people can get confused with these terms and even mix them up. But as a matter of fact, they refer to entirely different processes which are equally important in building a professional website.

General idea

So now, when we’ve come to the core of the website construction process, let’s take a closer look at general conception of two terms. Yes, they definitely sound similar, however, if we exclude the word “web”, the difference will be more obvious. Design specializes in visual elements, graphics, layouts and puts everything together to create an appealing and harmonious look.

On the contrary, web development focuses on turning the designs into a form of a website. Web developers are working with the codes to generate the designs and interactive applications. In fact, it is web development that plays a crucial role in actual building of a website.

Experience and training

Web designers are professional masters of various graphic tools and applications required to create a nice-looking website. A person without necessary design skills won’t be proficient to create a unique web presence. Besides, when a web designer is hired, he is expected to design an outstanding project to effectively move forward in the competitive market. Therefore, creativity and understanding of the art are the needed skills to exist and succeed in the design industry.

However, there are more skills required to be a professional web developer. Web development is the process which basically brings the site to live and therefore, there’s much more work needed. Web developers should master a few programming languages to be able to dynamic and interactive features to the site.

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