Who does what
- Page structure and navigation
- Layouts for phone and desktop
- Type, color and imagery
- Where calls to action go
- Code, templates and the CMS
- Forms, booking and payments
- CRM and analytics integrations
- Speed, security and hosting
Think of a house. Design is the floor plan and finishes. Development is the framing, plumbing and wiring.
Where the two overlap
The line blurs in practice. Front-end developers handle spacing, responsive layouts and animation. Many designers know HTML and CSS. Speed belongs to both. A designer who specifies huge background videos creates a slow page that no developer can fully rescue.
User experience spans both roles. Nielsen Norman Group defines it as everything about a person's interaction with a company and its services, not just the screen.
Examples from local business sites
A dental site needs a booking flow that feels simple. That is design. It also needs a secure form, spam protection and a link to the scheduling system. That is development.
A law firm needs page layouts that build confidence. That is design. It needs fast pages, reliable forms and call tracking. That is development.
What to put in a proposal
Ask for two lists in writing.
- The pages and visitor actions the design will support.
- The CMS, integrations, speed targets and support the build includes.
Vague proposals often split these between vendors, and problems fall through the gap.
How we work
At Rathly, design and development sit on one team. Antony leads both, so the design we show you is the site we can build, at full speed. Read whether you need coding skills to run the site afterward.
Our web design projects cover both sides in one contract.