Web Designer vs. Web Developer: How the Jobs Differ

Both web designers and web developers play an integral role in creating new websites. Web designers create the visual look and user experience of a website, focusing on aesthetics and usability, while web developers build the website's structure and functionality, turning the design into a working reality.

Discover more about these two roles, how they work together, and what your career path might look like in each.

Web designer vs. web developer: job descriptions

Web designers and web developers collaborate to create and maintain a website that benefits all stakeholders, each contributing a unique set of expertise. Imagine that a web designer sketches the website's blueprint, acting as the “architect” of the website’s flow and function, and the web developer builds the house. Essentially, web designers focus more on the creative aspects, while web developers find ways to render that vision.

Web designers need to understand the principles of aesthetics and how to use them to build a strong internet presence for their employer or client. And web developers need to know how to write code to create and maintain websites that provide a seamless user experience.

What does a web designer do?

Web designers work on the vision for a website: the user experience, the color scheme, the graphic design, and sometimes even the content. In this role, you create a look and feel that supports the website’s many purposes. 

Typically, as a web designer, your role has three main parts: the user interface (UI), the user experience (UX), and the visual design.

• UI is concerned with the “feel” of the website, which includes conveying the brand message throughout the application.

• UX relates to how easily users can navigate the website and improving areas of concern based on feedback.

• Visual design has to do with the graphics and making sure everything is laid out aesthetically. 

Learn more: How to Become a Web Designer

What does a web developer do?

Developers take a website designer's vision and convert it into code. Often, the developer recommends changes that make the site work better, taking advantage of emerging functionalities. As a web developer, you also ensure the site works on different browsers and mobile platforms and determine how to maintain its security. 

As a web developer, you might work in front-end, back-end, or full-stack development.

• Front-end involves writing code for website elements that users access directly, such as interactive features and site content.

• Back-end focuses more on the structure of the website itself, including servers and database management.

• Full-stack development works with both types and sees the process from start to finish.

Learn more: Front End vs. Back End: Learning Skills and Tools

Web designers: education, skills, and tools

As a web designer, you don’t need a formal college degree, but it can help you in several ways. Many web designers enter into this role with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, photography, video production, programming, or digital writing. Not only can these degrees add a respected credential to your resume, but they also provide structured learning paths to build several in-demand skills for web design positions. 

Instead of—or in addition to—a college degree, you can take subject-specific courses in web design topics, such as: graphic design software (Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator), search engine optimization (SEO) tools, and web design theory.

On Coursera, you can take the Graphic Design Specialization by the California Institute of the Arts and the Google UX Design Professional Certificate to learn basic principles and complete guided projects to add to your professional portfolio. 

Web designer skills

As a web designer, you’re creating websites that are aesthetically pleasing and user-intuitive without sacrificing functionality. While the exact skills you need vary depending on your role and the type of website you are creating, common web designer skills include:

• Proficiency in common design software, including Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator

• Deep understanding of color theory, typography, composition, and web design principles

• Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and front-end programming

• Understanding of how to use common SEO techniques 

• Familiarity with relevant content management systems (CMS)

• Understanding of data analytics related to web traffic and user flow

• Strong written and verbal communication across teams

In addition to the above skills, successful web designers often have strong human skills such as leadership, time management, teamwork, and adaptability.

Web design tools

Web designers have many tools at their disposal to craft visually appealing and highly functional websites. The Adobe suite is a powerful set of software to learn, including Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. Once you’ve mastered the first three in this list, you can use them for everything from wireframing and prototyping to creating detailed graphics and vector illustrations. Adobe Dreamweaver stands out among the Adobe suite for its unique ability to integrate visual design with code editing, allowing you to build and view changes in real time without deep coding knowledge.

In addition to Adobe tools, Figma is another program you can use collaboratively with your team to design, prototype, and gather feedback in a shared environment. You can also choose to learn Sketch, which is primarily used for designing interfaces and prototyping, and offers robust features that streamline the workflow from the initial idea to the final product.

Web developer: education, skills, and tools

As a web developer, you code the structure of a website, including everything from the underlying architecture to the interactive user-facing elements. You can demonstrate your technical expertise through portfolio projects, bootcamps, and certifications, but many web developers hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science. 

If you choose to build required skills through certifications and bootcamps, you'll want to choose options that focus on in-demand, comprehensive skills in web development. Common certifications for web developers include Red Hat certifications and Oracle certifications, which offer exam-based certifications for technological concepts such as database design, Java programming, and application development. You can also choose self-paced Professional Certificates on Coursera, such as the Meta Front-End Developer and IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificates. 

Web developer skills

As a web developer, you are instrumental in the website architecture, ensuring the site functions smoothly across different devices and platforms. Like web designers, the specific skills you need can vary based on your role within a team or the projects you handle. For example, front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers will have different core skill sets. However, several competencies are universally valued in this field. These include:

• Proficiency in front-end programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

• Proficiency in back-end programming languages, such as Python, Java, and SQL

• Familiarity with common front-end frameworks such as Angular and React

• Understanding of database architectures

• Proficiency with using application programming interfaces (APIs)

• Expertise in troubleshooting and debugging

Problem-solving and critical thinking are also highly valued skills for web developers, along with oral and written communication skills for presenting information to stakeholders across departments.

Insider tip: "Make sure you're surrounded by people who push you and inspire you to grow. Do the type of work that you find rewarding and mentally engaging," says Mari Batilando, a software engineer at Meta. "Stick with that mantra and the promotions and compensation just come naturally."

Web development tools

Web developers use many tools and technologies to create dynamic and efficient websites. On the front end, you can use tools to create engaging user interfaces. The most common tools are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which make up the foundational trio for any web presentation layer. To build dynamic, single-page applications, you can use frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js to improve user experience and site performance. For rapid prototyping and design, you can choose tools like Figma and Adobe Illustrator, which offer collaborative environments. Using these tools, you can create mock-ups to ensure your final product aligns perfectly with your stakeholder’s needs and expectations. 

On the back end, the technology stack can vary widely depending on the project requirements, but some tools have become particularly prominent. Node.js, for example, allows developers to use JavaScript on the server side. This enables a uniform programming language across both front and back ends, which simplifies development and reduces context switching. Python frameworks like Django and Flask are also common. You might choose Django for its extensive suite of features and security measures or Flask if you desire a lightweight and modular framework that can be scaled up.

Web designer vs. web developer: salaries and job outlook

Web designers and web developers differ in terms of salary. As of August 2024, the average web designer salary in the US is $82,104, according to Glassdoor [2]. However, you’ll see a lot of variation depending on the industry and location you work in, as well as your experience level.

Due to the technical nature of their job, web developers tend to make more money than web designers. The average web developer salary in the US is $93,127, according to Glassdoor (as of August 2024) [3]. Web developer salaries also vary widely based on industry, experience, and location.

Read more: Web Developer Certification: Is it Worth It? (+ How to Choose)

Job outlook for web designers and web developers

Both web design and web development are growth careers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups these two roles together in the same category and anticipates this kind of work to grow by 16 percent between 2022 and 2023 [1].

How to become a web designer or a web developer

Once you’ve decided on a career in the web design or development space, you might be wondering what a typical career path looks like. In both cases, you typically enter into an entry-level position with simpler projects before moving to more senior titles and tasks. 

Web designer career path

To become a web designer, you might seek internships or freelance projects after finishing your education. This can help you build connections and build your portfolio while increasing your experience level. Aspiring web designers then typically enter into an entry-level web designer role. After about two years of experience, you’re likely to move into an advanced web design role and use the skills you’ve built to work on more complex projects.

You might see this reflected in your job title as a senior web designer or in your compensation and job tasks. One of the great things about being a web designer is the versatility of your skill set. As you progress in the field, you might choose to specialize in a specific aspect of web design, such as becoming a UX designer, UI designer, or graphic designer. 

Web development career path

To enter into a web development career, you can begin by seeking an entry-level web developer role. As you build experience, you’ll progress to more senior titles, such as assistant director of web development and web developer manager. Once you continue to gain experience, you can enter senior and director-level roles such as senior web developer, lead web developer, and director of web development. 

Learn web design and web development with Coursera.

Learn more about both of these exciting fields or improve the skills you already have with courses on Coursera. Consider Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development & Coding Specialization offered by the University of Michigan or Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization offered through Duke University to get started.