Web developer vs Web designer: How to Choose the Right Specialist

A brief look into a web development team

We live in the age of websites and social media. If your business doesn’t have either, you’ll miss out on reaching a huge portion of prospective customers. So, naturally, everyone wants the best experts, web designers, and web developers to work on their websites. But, how can you choose the right specialist?

People often mix up web workers and web designers because they spend time on websites, utilize some of the same tools, and occasionally have the same skills. At least, that is how it seems to those standing on the outside.

There is a world of difference between the responsibilities of designers and developers when it comes to creating a website.

The front end and the back end are the two main areas of web development. Web developers often focus on only one area as it needs a particular set of skills. Like graphic designers in the realm of web design, full-stack specialists are masters of both the front end and the back end.

Here’s a brief look into the functions of these three groups:

Front-end developers

To put it simply, front-end development is all about creating the parts of a website that visitors can see and interact with. Web developers mostly employ JavaScript, CSS, and HTML while working on the front end. Hybrids between web design and development may emerge when certain designers are also fluent in these languages.

Back-end developers

Creating a website’s foundational elements is known as back-end development. The user does not see this hidden part. Ruby, Python, and Java are some of the more advanced languages used by back-end developers. With these languages, they can connect apps, servers, and databases.

Full-stack developers

Those who are skilled in both the front end and the back end of software development are known as full-stack developers. A strong grasp of many programming languages is essential for this field of expertise. While a developer with this skill set may be more versatile overall, they may lack the expertise of a true specialist in either front-end or back-end development.

The main differences between a web designer and web developer

While both web developers and web designers build websites, web designers put more emphasis on the visual elements—the cues that make you want to dive in. Here’s a closer look into the exact differences between a web designer and web developer.

Designers put greater emphasis on aesthetics and user experience, whereas developers construct a website’s framework using coding languages. To make the designer’s ideas a reality, developers utilize their expertise in programming. Web designers and developers are like builders and architects, respectively; they’re both important but have distinct sets of abilities.

Why do business owners want to replace half of their web team with one specialist?

As business owners review these differences and take a look at the current issues with their websites, they assume that a single web developer or a web designer can optimize their platform and boost their conversion rates. Some of them decide to downsize their web team because:

• They want to save money. The simple math is that hiring one expert is cheaper than a dedicated team. So, why spend all of that money when one specialist is enough, at least for now? As you’ll see below, this decision will come back to hunt them.
• They don’t have the infrastructure. Some owners may argue that their current team is simply too small to support a dedicated team. So, they decide to make one expert wear multiple hats, which inevitably hurts quality.
• They don’t plan to scale “right now”. Some companies just want to “get started” ASAP as they don’t want to waste time. They argue that they can just start with a pre-made website layout and make adjustments later on.

The main risks if you want to save time and budget

You need expertise and meticulousness to build a website that performs well. Building a website is similar to constructing a home. When it comes to plumbing, you wouldn’t skimp. It’s also not okay to do that with your website either. There are several big reasons:

You’ll lose more money in the long hall

You might save money at first by hiring cheap independent developers, but companies often have to pay to fix or update code later on. It would have been more cost-effective to do it correctly the first time around.

The website will be slow and painful

Page load time can be slowed down by mistakes in the code or by using a lot of third-party apps. This makes users very angry, and it also lowers your page rank. Websites that load slowly get pushed down on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) by Google. People might not even be able to find your website if it’s too slow.

Awful SEO rankings

Google also disapproves of sites that don’t have clear category lists, title tags, meta descriptions, and other things. Website developers who aren’t very good at what they do tend to only focus on how the site looks, and they might forget about important SEO factors.

Scaling becomes a nightmare

A lot of companies use website designs that are premade. While themes can help you get your website up and running quickly, they make it very hard to handle your materials and scale. You may have to start from scratch if you decide to alter your offering, include new features, or add more pages.

Conversion will suffer

People won’t stay on your website if it doesn’t work the way they want it to. This could be because the design isn’t done right or a feature doesn’t work. When your website has technical problems, you miss out on chances to make sales.

The role of a web developer

Web developers are experts at making websites from the start by using their technical knowledge and knowledge of advanced computer languages and difficult coding methods.

Web developers are in charge of implementing the plan and making creative features come to life, while web designers focus on how the site looks. They are in charge of both web development (writing user-facing parts) and background settings for computers and databases.

They still have work to do after the site goes live. Web developers test websites after they’re launched, offer ongoing help, and make sure they’re maintained. This includes fixing any bugs that were missed and making sure the site works properly.

Their technical know-how and dedication to always making things better make sure that your website stays up-to-date and is designed for smooth user experiences.

Reasons why a developer cannot do design (even small tasks)

For some people who are not quite familiar with web development, it may seem that a web developer can handle anything from coding and SEO optimization to UI/UX and web design. However, that’s not the case in reality. 

Web developers can’t replace web designers because they’re not familiar with some skills and concepts that are crucial to web design. For example, web developers don’t know:

The basic principles of design

Any expert in web or graphic design has to be proficient in certain basic principles like emergence, reification, and invariance. For example, Having invariance means you can make anything stand out in the overall layout. You may draw attention to certain features of a design by taking advantage of invariance. This is vital in web design. 

Typography

Typography affects how we understand concepts. The form and weight of a font convey meaning, and as a creator, you need to know how to best send your message using the right typography.

Composition

The way the writing, images, and other parts are put together should be both beautiful and useful. Composition is the way things look together in a design and how ideas are organized and ranked. The most important things should stand out and look great.

Color Theory

Colors used for text, CTAs, and headers should complement one another while still being very legible. Color theory, particularly the use of luminance, shadow, contrast, and saturation, is a crucial ability for web designers.

When do you need a web developer?

A web developer and a web designer might seem similar, but they’re needed for different tasks. You can simply go to the next section and see for yourself what we mean. Here’s when you should hire a web developer:

• When you want to create a complex website or app with interactive elements. Like, forms to fill out, or integrations with other services and databases. The more complex stuff you need – the more web developer suits you. 
• If your website needs special integrations, like CRM systems, payment gateways, or any other external platforms. Only a developer can make sure everything interacts properly.
• If you’re planning to launch an online store or a complex platform that needs to handle lots of data, manage orders, or products. 
• If you need to implement advanced animations, effects, or other elements that require coding. Sure, these can be designed, but only a developer will make sure they actually work properly on the site. They literally bring them to life so users can see all the animations and other things in action. 
• When your site needs technical tweaks, like optimizing speed, security, and making sure it works well on all devices. A web developer will handle the technical side of things.

The role of a web designer

Web designers put a lot of thought into how your site looks and how easy it is to use. One of their goals is to make a design that looks good and is easy for people to use. They design the style of your site, adding features that get people to buy and making sure that all of the pages are fully mobile-friendly.

Web designers typically talk to clients to find out what kind of site and tools they want before they begin to work on it. With this knowledge, they make a platform that is natural, interesting, and simple to use.

Web designers make sure that their designs work by testing them for usefulness and getting comments from people who might use them. They also keep up with the newest website tools and trends so that their clients can enjoy a modern and unique site. Web designers work to improve the look and feel of a website and make it easier for people to use.

Reasons why a web designer cannot replace a web developer

So, now you understand the roles of a web graphic designer and web developer. Of course, just like a web developer can’t function as a web designer, the reverse is also true. In other words, web designers lack a series of skills that are crucial for web development: 

Coding languages

Professional web developers have extensive knowledge of both the front and back end of a website’s code, using languages such as JavaScript, HTML, Ruby, and PHP. Designers only have a general understanding of some of these languages.

Version control

The ability to track and manage adjustments made to code is an important professional skill for Web Developers to have. For example, they should know how to use a popular platform like Git.

Libraries

It is critical to understand how to use frameworks and libraries that streamline and accelerate development. Back-end developers are well-versed in Django and Express, whereas front-end experts work well with Vue.js and jQuery. There are also many more libraries that few, if any, web designers can work with.

Code validation

It might be a tedious process, but web developers can validate code, check it for issues, and rectify any mistakes. This is vital to having websites that are both visually beautiful and easy to use.

When do you need a web designer?

You’ll need a web designer if your goal is to create a website that looks professional, represents your brand, and appeals to your target audience all at once. Here’s when it’s a good idea to hire one:

• When your current website feels outdated or hard to navigate. A designer can refresh the look, improve the interface, and make sure it’s mobile-friendly, which is crucial these days. Here is some kind of advice – analyze your website performance as often as possible to avoid such a situation. 
• If you want to improve user experience. If customers are giving you less-than-ideal feedback (yep, sometimes it happens), a designer can create a more intuitive, user-friendly layout to make the site more convenient for visitors.
• If your site isn’t mobile-friendly. If it looks messy, has a confusing structure, or isn’t displaying properly on mobile devices, a web designer can fix that by developing a mobile version or creating a responsive design. To avoid so – just keep in mind the mobile-fist design approach necessity. 
• If you’re planning to launch an online store or another complex web project. A designer will help you build an effective and appealing interface that encourages conversions and engagement.
• When you need a custom design. If you want your website to reflect your brand’s unique features, goals, and style, a web designer will bring that vision to life with tailored elements and graphics.

Web designer and web developer salary trends in 2025

In 2025, rates for Ukrainian developers and web designers will directly depend on their experience, specialization, and the technologies they use.

For web designers, rates range from $15 to $50 per hour, with those specializing in UI/UX or responsive design earning more. More details and more accurate sums you’ll know after a few calls and the project discussions. But keep in mind that a UI/UX designer with years of expertise and a stunning portfolio can be pretty expensive. But in the end, you’ll get a top-notch product with a focus on your business goals. 

For web developers, rates typically fall between $20 and $70 per hour. Developers skilled in popular technologies like React, Node.js, and Python it the most popular choice among businesses. At the same time, they can command higher rates based on their expertise and the complexity of the project. Moreover, the rates can be changed during the cooperation in cases when you want to add something to the system, remove some parts, or something else. Also, it all depends on the financial model of your cooperation. This means that you can pay for every work stage or pay a fixed price for the whole project.

How can a dedicated web team optimize your budget?

As you can see, you cannot drop web developers or web designers from your team, and you can’t use one in place of the other. So, the best scenario is to have them collaborate on your project. This is where a dedicated team comes in.

Usually, this team is made up of talented project managers, developers, quality testing specialists, UI/UX designers, and other experts who collaborate to finish the project.

There are several ways that a dedicated team can cut down your costs. The first thing is that you’ll have the exact number of experts required to finish the job on time. If you take an in-house approach, everyone in your group would need to be paid, even if they don’t have a job to do at the moment. That’s not the case with a dedicated team. Another thing is that you don’t have to worry about paid trips, bonuses, or other ways to motivate your team.

By assembling a dedicated team, you don’t have to invest capital in all the equipment and infrastructure. A specialized team has all the tools they need to make and test software. In addition, all of these systems are set up correctly. System managers are in charge of making sure it works and is operable. So, you won’t need to hire extra people to keep an eye on and fix the work systems.

Conclusion

There you have it. This is an in-depth look into the roles of web developers, and designers, and the differences between the two. As you can see, your best chance is to hire a dedicated team that can take your idea and come back with a fully functional website that’s also pleasing to the eye. 

Luckily, you don’t have to look far for such a team because we at TRIARE have a collection of world-class web designers, project managers, developers, and quality experts that offer premium web development services. Just get in touch and leave the rest to us.