“What is the difference between a web designer and a graphic designer (and a front-end developer)?” is the subtext of a bevy of questions I get asked about my work. Most people seem to think that all graphic designers can code and all web designers can do layout. Most creative titles mean slightly different things to different people (I’m still not sure what the difference between a Creative Director and an Art Director are and I’ve worked with both) but the basic differences between a graphic and web designer are somewhat cut and dried. A graphic designer is responsible for the look and feel of your project, whether it’s web-based or print-based. A web designer is responsible for the front-end coding of your website, though they will likely have some knowledge in design (in the more classic sense), information architecture and usability. (Coding can be broken down into front-end and back-end coding, which are not necessarily both required for your site, but that may be another post for another blogger.) Both graphic designers and web designers have technical skills that will take your project from concept to reality but those skills can be really different. If you’re still with me, I’ll get more deeply into the definitions.
Graphic designers are about aesthetics and accessibility. They want the information that they’re trying to convey to look beautiful and be very clear. Since it’s often easier to talk about what someone doesn’t do in order to differentiate them from some one else, in general, graphic designers don’t do any coding for websites. Graphic designers can make a website look amazing, provide brilliant graphics for your site, design your logo, make you some gorgeous business cards, but they likely won’t be writing XHTML, CSS, PHP, jQuery, Javascript or any of the other coding stuff that goes into making your website function or exist on the Internet.
Web designers, on the other hand, can do the coding that makes your website function and exist online. That isn’t to say that web designers don’t have the design sense and savvy to produce something gorgeous, it’s just not necessarily what they’re experts in or trained for. Web designers are generally front-end coders which means that they do the coding that is required for WordPress and websites in general. They may require some re-enforcements if you need a website with Fort Knox style security and eBay-style functionality (that’s where the back-end coders come in), but as a general rule, they can handle average websites’ building requirements.
Now, of course there is crossover between the two, and some people, like me, do both. Those people, hopefully, have training in both design and coding (I went to NSCAD University and BCIT, for design and coding, respectively). So, if you’re looking for an amazing website for you or your company, it’s good to keep in mind that you may want to consider hiring two people to get the result that you want: a graphic designer AND a web designer or hiring someone who knows about and has trained in both. (I’m not trying to sell myself, here, really I’m not!)
If you’re a web or graphic designer, I want to know: What do you think is the difference between the two? I know that my definition may not ring true for everyone, so I’m curious to know how everyone else defines themselves. Please comment and let me know what you think!
Kate Moore Hermes 