When looking for a professional to design a brand for you, a plan on how you’ll launch your website is a must. You don’t want to make the mistake of seeing your website as an afterthought when in reality, it is the cornerstone of your business. You will see a lot of designers in almost every price range that offer a website as a part of their package.
Websites require a lot of moving parts so when you’re ready to create a custom site or something based on a template, you’ll need an UX / UI Designer and a Developer.
But wait, don’t website designers build my website? Not necessarily! Building a website can have a wide range of prices, but you want to make sure that it’s clear what you’re receiving when you book a Designer vs. a Developer.
A web developer translates a design into code or implements a content management system (a long term for a platform) and adds functionality to the visuals. Your developer would be the one to infuse interactive features and build your site from the ground up using the designer’s specifications.Generally speaking, there are two main types of web developers: front-end and back-end developers (or full-stack developers who are skilled at both). Front-end developers create the look of the website while working with HTML, CSS and JavaScript/jQuery. It’s very important to craft a user interface that feels as good as it looks, so an understanding of design goes with this job.Back-end developers are those who create the backbone of a website: the databases, servers and behind-the-scenes applications. Languages include Ruby, PHP, Python and SQL.
Website design and development had a very clear line drawn in the sand in the beginning stages of the internet. Most designers had no clue how to code a website and asking a developer to create graphics or make visual decisions would have been met with laughter or an eye roll. However, with the website platforms now available to designers, the lines have blurred.
Knowing the difference between these two services can not only help you make a more informed decision when booking a designer, but your investment in the project should be weighed in a new way. If you’re spending your entire budget and you’re not receiving web development, where will the money come at that point to build your website with your new visuals? It’s important to understand what you’re spending your money on and what will work best for your business.
Some platforms enable a website designer to build your website. However, there are also platforms that require a developer to truly create a custom, cleanly built website.
When you are using a website and blog on the WordPress platform, you bet you will need both a designer and developer. WordPress is entirely code based, even changing small details in a theme will require code. It’s very important to make sure when booking a designer who offers WordPress design that they will also develop your site or they can easily refer you to a few developers that they work with regularly.
Showit is the perfect medium because you’ll need a developer, but a Showit developer is going to be a designer very familiar with the platform and who can start a website from scratch for you so it’s truly custom. You want to make sure your developer on Showit doesn’t need a template to start your website, because you may miss out on some of Showit’s amazing interactive features if the person you hire doesn’t understand the platform inside and out.
There are also designers who can customize a template for you and that can be extremely helpful when you have a smaller budget. Typically, your investment will be higher when you have a designer and developer all in one person or studio.
Webflow is great when you need to have advanced animations or a site that is based completely on code. This is the most developer friendly platform to use and you can even host your blog and shop here!
But you’ll need someone that is familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to really get the full benefits of the platform.
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