Updated: August 17, 2009
Which Should You Hire?
Wondering whether to hire a web designer or a web developer?
Charlottesville Web Design Firm
We are a Charlottesville web design firm specializing in search-engine friendly and accessible web designs. We work with several Charlottesville web designers and also provide in-house web design services.
Our lead designer is originally from Hayama, Japan. Ake (pronounced "Ah-Kay") has a degree in fashion design, which has been her primary creative focus for the past two decades. She transitioned to web design services in 2006.
Designing and developing an effective web site incorporates two skill sets rarely found in one person. The aesthetic element requires creative vision to conceptualize a design and artistic ability to produce it. The structural element demands a methodical approach and a level of attention to non-artistic detail most artists find unnatural and perhaps even unhealthy.
Top Web Designers
The best web site designers ensure their sites are built to comply with W3C web standards. If they do not have the time or mindset to ensure their work is coded correctly, they delegate the task to a front-end web developer.
Top web design studios now recognize how important standards-compliant web coding is for their clients, especially for clients concerned about forward compatibility, cross-browser and cross-platform viewing anomalies, and device independence. As web designers' awareness of these issues increases, competitive pressure is driving software companies selling web site authoring tools to improve their products. This is a positive trend. Code generating software (web authoring software) is improving.
What Can't Be Automated
There are still many components of a successful site that can't be relegated to an automatic process, however. Web site content, organization, programming structure, and copywriting to name a few... Additional factors that are challenging to automate include handicap accessibility, usability, interactive capabilities, and search-engine-friendly programming. So even as the web design industry matures, it is doubtful that code generating software will evolve to become a turnkey solution for companies targeting the factors above. Of course, it is already marketed as a turnkey product, which is unlikely to change.
Accessible Web Design
For a free quote on accessible web design by Ake, contact us in Charlottesville, Virginia
434-284-2840
CALL NOW!
Selecting A Team
Leading web designers consider all of the elements mentioned above. But finding a talented web designer who is also focused on the many non-artistic details required to develop a high quality web site is as difficult as finding an aesthetically gifted programmer.
Guiding a web site from conception to launch requires both skill sets. Should you hire a web designer or a web developer? Find the rare person who can do both jobs well, or hire a team. If you hire a web design firm, be sure they have the capabilities and focus to meet all of your requirements.
Learn what to ask about web standards, CSS and accessibility when interviewing web developers and web design studios.
