What’s the Difference Between Web Development and Web Design?

When we look at our Google Analytics to determine which search phrases are leading visitors to the NOYO Web Development site, we see both “web development company” and “web design company.” These terms are frequently used interchangeably by business owners, and many web services companies offer both types of services. However, the two disciplines are distinctly different.

It is important for you to understand the difference as you shop around for someone to develop and design your business website.

Web Development versus Web Design

In short, web design is the aesthetics of your website and how those aesthetics impact the site’s usability. Web designers use an array of design programs like Adobe Photoshop to create the visual elements and layout of your business website.

In contrast, web developers take the website design and create a functional website from it. Web developers use HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and other programming languages to bring to life the design files.

A Closer Look at Web Design

Web designers take into consideration the client’s objectives for the site and then develop an Information Architecture to establish the site’s information hierarchy and help guide the design process. Next, web designers can start creating wireframes and finally move to the design stage. Web designers may use several basic design principles to achieve an aesthetically pleasing layout which also offers excellent user experience.

Design Principles

• Contrast – In color theory, contrasting colors are ones placed opposite one another on the color wheel (see also complementary colors). Web design offers a few other areas where contrast is applicable. Designers look at contrasting sizes, textures and shapes to define and draw attention to certain sections of the website.
• Emphasis – We touched on this a bit when discussing contrast. Emphasis is a design principle founded in the intentional “highlighting” of certain important elements of the website layout. It’s important to note that if you emphasize everything on the page you end up emphasizing nothing. Imagine a page in a book where 80% of the content is highlighted in yellow…does anything really stand out? This is the time to take a look at the Information Architecture for direction.
• Unity – Unity is the relationship between the various parts of the website layout and the composition as a whole. Based on the Gestalt theory, unity deals with how the human brain visually organizes information by grouping elements into categories.
• Balance – It’s important for web designers to create a balanced layout. In web design, we refer to heavy (large and dark colors) and light (small and lighter colors) elements. Using the correct proportion of each is critical to achieving a balanced website design.
• Consistency – Also called repetition or rhythm, consistency is a critical web design principle. For example, clean and consistent navigation provides the best user experience for your website visitors.

A Closer Look at Web Development

Web developers, sometimes called programmers, take the design created and build a fully functioning website. To put it (very) simply, think of the design as a non-interactive “picture” of a website. Developers take that design and break it up into its components. They then either use just HTML or a more dynamic approach incorporating programming languages such as PHP to develop the various website pages. More advanced web developers may choose to utilize a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Joomla in order to streamline development and allow clients an easy way to maintain and update their website. Web developers may convert a static layout into a dynamic website by using image and content sliders, active states for links and buttons, and other interactive elements.

NOYO Web Development offers both design and development services. We can create a comprehensive plan based on your objectives. Give us a call today to get started. We offer complimentary consultations.