Do I Need a Web Designer or Web Developer?

Wondering if you need a web designer or web developer? Learn the key differences, when to hire each, and how Builtflat’s full-stack services can elevate your website.

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Written by Sam JonesPosted on Sunday, Jan 26, 2025
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Building a website is one of the most important steps in establishing your business online. But here’s the kicker: not all website professionals are the same. A web designer and a web developer might seem interchangeable, but they bring very different skills to the table.

Whether you’re planning a website redesign, launching an ecommerce online store, or creating a portfolio for your real estate photography business, understanding who does what is critical. Because choosing the wrong one for your project could cost you time, money, and even customers.

In this guide, we’ll break down the differences between web designers and web developers, when to hire each, who else helps when creating a website, and how their skills impact the final website design and development cost.

What’s the Difference Between a Web Designer and a Web Developer?

Web Designer: The Creative Visionary

Web designers focus on how your website looks and feels. Think of them as digital artists who turn your brand into a visually compelling experience. From crafting the layout to choosing the perfect colour palette, their goal is to design a website that captures attention and engages visitors.

Web designers often specialise in:

  • User Experience (UX): Ensuring the site is easy and enjoyable to use. This focuses on the user journey and that the design is easy to navigate.
  • User Interface (UI): Designing intuitive interfaces that encourage interaction to increase conversion rates.
  • Visual Design: Creating aesthetically pleasing layouts with branding in mind that keeps your current and potential customers engaged.

These professionals rely on tools like Figma and Adobe XD to create wireframes and prototypes, and they might even dabble in light coding using HTML and CSS.

Mobile layouts for the CHASNZ website
Mobile layouts for the Construction Health & Safety New Zealand (CHASNZ) website

Web Developer: The Technical Expert

If web designers are the architects, web developers are the builders. They take the designer’s vision and make it functional. Web developers write the code that powers the website, ensuring it works seamlessly on the front-end (what users see) and the back-end (what they don’t).

Web developers can be categorised as:

  • Front-End Developers: Focus on client-side functionality, using languages like JavaScript and frameworks like React.
  • Back-End Developers: Handle server-side logic and databases with languages like PHP, Python, or SQL.
  • Full-Stack Developers: Combine front-end and back-end expertise to build and manage entire websites.

Web developers are essential for creating custom web development services, such as ecommerce platforms, back-end email marketing functions, or advanced functionality.

When Do You Need a Web Designer?

Hire a web designer when your project is focused on aesthetics and user experience. For example:

  • Website Redesign Services: Need a fresh look for your current site? A designer can revamp its appearance while improving usability.
  • Brand Aligned Website: Is your website off-brand or outdated? If your branding has changed, a designer can update your site to match your new look and feel.
  • To Enhance User Experience: A good design makes your site easy to use and keeps visitors engaged. It guides them naturally toward taking action, like making a purchase or contacting you.
  • To Improve Your Sites Accessibility: Designers ensure your site works for everyone, including users with disabilities by following best design practices for accessibility.
  • To Add a Professional Touch: Templates often look generic and cheap, harming your brand. Web designers reach your clients whilst bringing creativity and originality to make your website unique and targeted.

A web designer is also the go-to professional for businesses looking to package their website as part of a cohesive brand strategy, whether it’s through a bespoke website design or creative agency website design.

When Do You Need a Web Developer?

Hire a web developer when your project requires complex functionality or technical features. Consider a developer for:

  • To Ensure Functionality: Developers bring designs to life by coding the structure and ensuring all features work seamlessly.
  • To Add Advanced Features: Need secure logins, ecommerce capabilities, or custom tools? A developer has the skills to create features that align with your business goals.
  • To Optimise Performance: Developers ensure your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and operates smoothly across devices and browsers.
  • Handling Complex Technical Needs: If your site requires integrations with other software or needs a database, a developer ensures everything works smoothly and reliably behind the scenes
  • Custom Web Development Services: Building a site from scratch with unique features tailored to your business needs.
  • Ongoing Support and Maintenance: A developer keeps your site running smoothly by fixing bugs, updating features, and providing long-term support when needed.

A developer is essential for tackling technical challenges, such as optimising load times, ensuring mobile responsiveness, or adding database integrations.

Hero section of the CSSBUY website
Hero section of the CSSBUY website showing coded URL & keyword search functionality.

Do You Need Both?

Sometimes, you’ll need both a web designer and a developer to bring your vision to life. For example:

  • Launching a small business website design package that balances aesthetics and functionality.
  • Building a b2b website design agency site with immersive web design services and complex backend systems.
  • Creating a Wordpress web development project requiring both design and coding expertise.

Hiring a web development company or a full-service digital agency ensures that designers and developers work together seamlessly, saving you time and hassle.

How Does Working with a Full-Stack Website Agency Help?

When it comes to building a digital design services, hiring a full-stack website agency can be a game-changer. These agencies bring together a team of designers, developers, and other professionals who work in tandem to deliver a cohesive, high-quality result to grow your business. Here’s why working with a full-service agency is often the smartest choice:

1. Seamless Collaboration

Agencies are powered by teams of web designers and developers who work closely together. This minimises miscommunication and ensures that the design and functionality align perfectly. For instance:

  • A designer creates a stunning layout for an ecommerce NZ website.
  • The developer ensures the design is technically viable and functions seamlessly on all devices.
  • This synergy results in a website that looks great and works flawlessly.

This point is number one for a reason. We’ve jumped on projects before designed by one team and developed by another that had gone down hill. The reason? The designers had created a web design that couldn’t be developed effectively

2. Comprehensive Expertise

A full-stack agency provides expertise across multiple areas. Need immersive web design services? Done. Want custom web development services? No problem. Because it’s all-in-one you get full representation throughout.

Agencies have specialists who can handle everything, whether it’s designing a website for wedding planners or optimising the user experience for a construction company website design.

3. Single Point of Contact

Working with an agency means you don’t have to juggle multiple freelancers or vendors. A project manager acts as your main point of contact, ensuring that every aspect of the project is coordinated and on schedule. Giving you more time to focus on your businesses success.

4. Scalable Solutions

Full-stack agencies understand that businesses grow and change. They offer scalable solutions, such as starting with an affordable website design package and expanding later with more advanced features like custom integrations or advanced SEO.

5. Faster Turnaround Times

With designers, developers, and other experts working under one roof, agencies can streamline workflows and deliver projects faster. This is especially important for businesses with tight deadlines or large-scale projects.

Example:

Imagine launching a new accounting website design. A full-stack agency would ensure that:

  • The layout is designed for professional appeal, keeping in line with accounting firm website design conventions.
  • A Front-End Developer turns a designer’s vision into a functional website, ensuring everything works smoothly and is fully optimised.
  • The Back-End developer ensures the backend and functions all connect to the Content Management System (CMS) and that functions such as any client portals are secure and functional.
  • Copywriters & SEO specialists work together to create the written content suited to the target audience and for SEO ranking.
  • Photographers and Videographers create the visual content for the website.
  • Marketers create and run website ad’s on search engines such as Google or social media platforms like Meta.
  • Maintenance teams keep the website updated with new content, make edits, ensure everything is updated, etc.

Other Professionals Who Contribute to Web Design

Web design is rarely a one-person job. A successful website often involves a team of specialists who contribute their unique expertise to create a site that’s visually appealing, functional, and optimised for search engines.

1. Copywriters

A copywriter ensures your website’s content is clear, persuasive, and aligned with your brand voice. Whether you need engaging product descriptions for an ecommerce website design agency or a compelling About page for your small business, a professional copywriter makes your messaging work for you.

  • Example: A marketing copywriting services expert might craft content that drives conversions on your landing page.

2. SEO Specialists

Search engine optimisation is critical for driving organic traffic to your site. SEO specialists conduct keyword research, optimise content, and improve backend metadata to ensure your site ranks well.

  • Take us for example: We target keywords words such as “website design package NZ”, “Web developer NZ”, or “web designers near me” to attract the right audience.

3. Marketers

Digital marketing professionals create strategies to promote your site and drive traffic. From email campaigns to social media advertising, marketers ensure your site gets noticed.

Example: A b2b website design agency uses marketers to craft targeted campaigns for law firm website lead generation.

4. Photographers and Videographers

Professional visuals are crucial for building trust and engagement. High-quality photos and videos can elevate a bespoke website design, making it more appealing and relatable.

  • Example: An automotive dealership website design benefits from professional shots that showcase their vehicles.

5. UX and UI Designers

These specialists focus on creating user-friendly experiences. They use research, data and testing to ensure your site is intuitive and engaging.

  • Example: A UI designer might streamline the checkout process on an online clothing ecommerce NZ site to reduce cart abandonment.

6. Website Maintenance Teams

After the launch, a maintenance team ensures your site remains secure, updated, and functional. They handle everything from fixing bugs to updating content making it a very important but often overlooked requirement of all websites. You can find out more about it here.

  • Example: Small businesses often rely on website maintenance services for ongoing support as they don’t have as much time to manage it themselves.

Conclusion

Deciding between a web designer and a web developer doesn’t have to be confusing. It all comes down to what your project needs. Web designers bring creativity and user-focus, while developers handle the technical side that makes everything work. For most businesses, a combination of both roles and working with a web design company ensures a website that looks great and performs even better.

At Builtflat, we take the guesswork out of website creation. As a full-stack agency, we offer business website design services, marketing strategies, template and custom web development services, web hosting, and everything in between. Our team of designers, developers, and specialists collaborate to deliver seamless, scalable websites that work for you – not against you.

Ready to build a website that drives results? Contact Builtflat today to get started. Let’s create something incredible together!

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