Are you good at drawing and painting or better at technical stuff like fixing cars or writing code on a computer? Most people tend to be one or the other though many of us can do a bit of both with one side being stronger. I am a creative by nature but I was able to learn some technical things to help me in my career. This has been massively beneficial to understand what makes up a website in terms of function and the language used by developers. It allows me to explain things to clients in layman’s terms to make it easier to understand.
In my experience there are talented designers and talented developers and when you pair them up magic happens. Designers understand how to create the look and feel of a website but should also have a strong understanding of the user experience to ensure their design lands effectively. Developers understand how to make the website function at its best, code in useful features, ensure cross browser success, tweak the mobile experience and fix bugs that may come up.
It’s important to note that many designers create websites without developers and for the most part this is due to all the different web platforms available today such as Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Showit etc. These platforms do not require development in a build due to how they are designed. All have value and allow websites to be built quickly with no coding. The only downside is all of them have limitations so understanding a clients needs is very important when choosing a platform.
Many developers also create websites without designers as well however where they often fall short is in the look/feel/brand story, not in the function.
Both designers and developers are problem solvers and require good communications skills to bring their talents together successfully. I truly believe in a collaborative approach to anything related to marketing to maximize results so you will always hear me promoting relationships. If anybody reading this is interested in chatting about relationships send me a message!