Web design is the visual and experiential layer (layout, colour, typography, interaction patterns, user flow). Web development is the engineering layer (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, frameworks, performance, integrations). Designers create what the site looks and feels like; developers make it work. Some specialists do both (Webflow designers, full-stack designers); most projects benefit from both disciplines collaborating. Cost: design 30–50% of project, development 50–70%.
User research and personas. Information architecture (sitemap, user flows). Wireframes and prototypes. Visual design (typography, colour, brand application). Interaction design (hover states, animations, micro-interactions). Responsive design across viewports. Accessibility design. Designer tools: Figma, FigJam, Webflow Designer, Sketch, Framer.
HTML structure (semantic, accessible). CSS styling (often CSS-in-JS or design-token systems). JavaScript / TypeScript (interactivity, state, data fetching). Framework choice (React / Next.js / Astro / SvelteKit / Vue). Performance optimisation (Core Web Vitals, bundling, image optimisation). Integrations (CMS, CRM, payments, analytics). Deployment and DevOps. Developer tools: VS Code, Cursor, Vercel, GitHub, Webflow CMS.
Webflow specialists: do both design and 'development' (Webflow visual builder produces real HTML/CSS). Full-stack designers: design in Figma, then code the front-end. AI-augmented designers: use Cursor / v0 / Lovable to generate React from designs.
For most marketing sites, a Webflow specialist handles the whole project. For complex apps, separate designer + developer (or design + frontend + backend).
"AI is collapsing the design-development boundary. Cursor + v0 + Webflow Designer let one specialist do what two used to. The line between design and development is fuzzier in 2026 than 2022."
For a typical £6,000 brand site: design 30–40% (£1,800–£2,400), development 60–70% (£3,600–£4,200). For a £30,000 complex site: design might be 20–30% (more complex backend tilts the split). For a £299 landing page: combined.
Common mistake: hiring a designer with no developer (beautiful PDFs that never become a website). Or hiring a developer with no designer (functional but ugly site). Most projects need both, even if one specialist plays both roles.
Hire designer when: you have an existing site that works but looks wrong, brand needs refresh, you have content but visuals are weak.
Hire developer when: you have designs but they're not built yet, you need integrations or custom features, performance / SEO needs technical work.
Hire both (or hybrid) when: starting from scratch, full redesign needed, complex interactions or applications. Most agency engagements bundle both.