I always read "web designer", "web developer", and "web programmer", but don't understand the difference between them.
What is the difference? An example would be appreciated.
+4
A:
Web designer: Someone who designs the look and feel of the web pages
Web developer: Someone who writes backing code for pages (ie HTML, CSS, etc)
Web programmer: Someone who uses backend server languages, like ASP, PHP, Ruby, etc, to write the logic for a web application.
DannySmurf
2010-01-20 22:08:29
I have also seen web programmers called web developers because it sounded better for marketing reasons.
ccook
2010-01-20 22:09:17
I'd also say that a web programmer and web developer are often used interchangeably. And often a web designer will also do web development. Of course, people often mistakenly think a web developer is also a web designer, not understanding that most good developers aren't that good with visual design...
pib
2010-01-20 22:11:23
You're both right, of course. Web developer is more understandable to lay people. Web developer is also a lot more ambiguous (kind of like "Systems Analyst"). But, just like Systems Analyst has a specific, formal meaning, so does programmer.
DannySmurf
2010-01-20 22:15:23
A:
Web designer is someone who designs Web pages. They, along with the client, choose a colour palette, position things, and make it visually appealing. They are concerned with the usability and design. It's usually all done in Photoshop, at which point they pass it off to the Web developer.
A Web developer creates the Web site - write the HTML, CSS and, if the page has any dynamic content, will develop that as well.
A Web programmer, to my knowledge, is basically the same thing as a Web developer. They are only concerned with the technical aspects of a Web page.
calico-cat
2010-01-20 22:11:41
+8
A:
In my experience people use the designer label when they are talking about people who do front-end design -- graphics, user interface, etc and programmer/developer when talking about people who do back-end coding and, perhaps, front-end work as well. Other than the wording I don't consider there to be much difference between developer and programmer, though some may argue that a developer takes a role in more than just writing code. I would argue that all developer/programmers do this, but just to a greater or lesser extent.
FWIW -- I call myself a software developer who specialize in web applications. I usually do the whole gamut from UI design to backend implementation and testing.
tvanfosson
2010-01-20 22:12:01
+15
A:
The way I always looked at it:
Web Designers make it look good.
Web Developers/Programmers make it work.
Jack Marchetti
2010-01-20 22:12:16
Nicely put. You don't see any differentiation between web developers and web programmers though?
prometheus
2010-01-20 23:03:20
no not really. At least in my world, devs/programmers are pretty interchangeable. designer is definitely front end, may include css,html,jquery,xml. dev/programmer definitely is the back end, php,.net,ruby,sql,mysql etc...
Jack Marchetti
2010-01-20 23:06:01
+1
A:
DannySmurf's definitions are straight forward and can be used as the defacto heuristic, but I would have to say that the term Web Developer can be synonymous with both Web Designer and Web Programmer depending on the context.
Sometimes, the person who creates the visual layout of a site is also capable of handling the HTML and CSS bits. Other times, the person who is developing the HTML and CSS bits is also well versed in JavaScript and handles the Model, View, Controller portions of the website programming (PHP, ASP, Ruby, etc.).
The system logic that may reside behind the scenes would then be coded by other programmers who may refer to themselves as Web Programmers because the end product that they build is an application accessed via the web.
Personally, I drop out the term Web Programmer, and simply use:
- Web Designers: persons responsible for the creative invention of the look & feel of the website from a graphical layout perspective.
- Web Developers: persons responsible for the execution of pages designed by Web Designers, including the HTML, CSS, JavaScript and server-side components such as PHP, ASP, Ruby, etc.
Chris F
2010-01-20 22:22:07
See I think that developers should know HTML and CSS but ultimately it should be up to the designer to do that.
Jack Marchetti
2010-01-20 22:23:39
Some do differentiate between developers as those who create the HTML/CSS, and programmers as those who create the backend non-static aspects of a Web system. I think it depends on how many people are working on the project. If you can dedicate one person to the design, one person to the HTML/CSS and one or more people to the backend, you can make that distinction.
calico-cat
2010-01-20 22:27:25
+2
A:
I like to use an analogy
Web Designer: Interior Decorator/Designer
Web Developer/Programmer: Carpenter/Electrician/Plumber (As I always see these as interchangeable roles in web dev)
Paul K
2010-01-20 22:33:18
A:
Web Application = Form + Function
Web Developer = Designer + Programmer
However, in real world things are not as straightforward. It goes like this:
- Designer = Pretender (I can develop your website)
- Programmer = Fixer (I fixed your beautiful but none-functioning website)
- Developer = Unemployed! (you should have given me the job in the first place)
Something needs to be done to fix this mess. Long live developer.
Square Rig Master
2010-01-20 22:54:38