Whoever is not on the Internet today, does not exist. You either have an online presence, or you are invisible.

You can have your updated CV on LinkedIn, post videos dancing to the latest fashion challenge on TikTok, or share photos of your vacation in Menorca on Instagram. But when it comes to professional presence, whether it’s for your business, economic activity, or personal brand, you absolutely must have a website. There’s no room for debate.

In this scenario, it’s common to hear a lot about web page design and web development, with even more offers in the market. And it’s possible that you’re not clear about the differences between the two concepts, or maybe you’re not even sure that they are not the same thing.

This is a topic we know in-depth at Unimedia because it’s one of the areas of software development that we specialize in. So, let’s talk about it!

WEB DESIGN

Web design is the process of planning and creating the visual appearance of a website, including the arrangement of elements, colors, typography, images, and user interaction.

Key features:

• Visual Aesthetics: Design focuses on the aesthetics and overall look of the website, ensuring it’s attractive and consistent with the brand.
• Responsive Design: This means adapting the design for different devices, such as desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
• Usability: It focuses on ease of use and the user experience, ensuring that navigation is intuitive, simple, and pleasant.
• Graphic Elements: This includes the selection of images, icons, and graphics that complement the site’s content.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

Web development is the process of creating the technical structure of a website, programming the functions, databases, and logic behind the web pages.

Key features:

• Coding: Web developers write code in various programming languages to build the site’s functionality.
• Dynamic Interaction: It deals with real-time interactions like forms, online purchases, and real-time updates.
• Security: Developers implement security measures to protect the website against threats like cyberattacks
• Performance Optimization: It concerns the loading speed and efficiency of the website, which directly impacts the user experience.

DIFFERENCES

We can summarize the differences in two statements:

Web designers are not responsible for writing code.

Web developers are not responsible for creating visual assets.

This is the main distinction between the two. While web designers create visual assets that add aesthetic value to the site, web developers are responsible for adding functionality. The developer translates the sketches, wireframes, and other assets generated by the designer into code. So, creating visual assets is the responsibility of the web designer, while using code to make them appear on the website is the job of the web developer.

In essence, the difference lies in the role each plays in creating a website. While web development adds functionality through code, web design aims to create an aesthetically appealing page that invites visitors.

SIMILARITIES

The main connection between both fields is that they both aim to provide an attractive user experience.

(if you want to learn more about user experience, visit ‘The value of user experience in Software Development‘)

The goal is clear: to have customers visit and return to the website. The user experience ensures that customers establish a positive association with the website and, therefore, with the product or brand. If the user experience is poor, customers will become frustrated and choose to take their business elsewhere.

In achieving this goal, design ensures that customers have a pleasant browsing experience, while development ensures that the website functions properly. A website that doesn’t work properly has no value to consumers, no matter how beautiful and attractive it may be. And vice versa.

It seems that the conclusion is quite clear, isn’t it? Both must work together to develop a cohesive and functional website. Without design, a website will be impersonal. Without development, a website won’t function correctly. The result of design and development working together is an exceptional web experience.

This is our goal. If you need to create your own website, our team of experts will guide you through the journey, making it easy and clear. At Unimedia, we have the know-how to help you design, develop, and deploy your website to make it exceptional.

 Want to know more about us? Click here: ‘Our Web APP Development Services’