Web design vs. web development: what's the difference?

People use 'web design' and 'web development' interchangeably, but they're different crafts — and a great website needs both. Knowing the difference helps you understand what goes into your site.

Design

Web design is how the site looks and feels — layout, colour, typography, and the experience of using it. Good design makes a site clear, trustworthy, and easy to act on.

Development

Web development is the building — turning the design into a fast, functional, secure website with working forms, performance, and SEO under the hood.

You need both

A beautiful design that's poorly built is slow and fragile; a well-built site that looks amateur doesn't convert. The best results come from both done well together.