What is web design and development?

Web design and development is an umbrella term that describes the process of creating a website. Like the name suggests, it involves two major skill sets: web design and web development. Web design determines the look and feel of a website, while web development determines how it functions. In the almost 30 years since the first website was created, numerous job titles have emerged to describe various skill sets used to create a website, with more coming out every year. These titles often overlap, and their meanings change from company to company. It’s enough to make your head spin. What the user sees takes place in a browser and involves design and front-end development. Design defines a website’s colors, layout, font, and images—all the stuff that goes into a website’s branding and usability—and requires tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, and Sketch. A website needs a back end to store and organize all the data that comes through the front end. So if a user buys something or fills out a form, they’re entering information into an application on the front end of the website. And that information is stored in a database that lives on a server.