And how is a graphic designer different from a web designer or web developer?
Graphic designers, web designers, and web developers all appear to do similar things — they work with images, colours, and layouts. In practice, their roles are quite different, and understanding the difference can save you a significant amount of time and money when you need creative or technical work done.
This article explains what a graphic designer actually does, where their role ends, and where a web designer or developer takes over.
A graphic designer creates visual content intended to communicate a message. Their work covers a broad range of media — print and digital — and is fundamentally about visual communication rather than technology.
Typical graphic design work includes:
A graphic designer's primary tools are programmes such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Their skill is in understanding composition, colour theory, typography, and visual hierarchy — the art of arranging elements so that a design communicates clearly and looks professional.
A graphic designer is not typically a web designer or developer. They do not write code, build websites, or create interactive digital experiences. A graphic designer can produce a beautiful mockup of what a website could look like — but turning that mockup into a functioning website requires a different set of skills entirely.
This is a common and costly misunderstanding. Business owners sometimes approach a graphic designer to create their website, not realising that the designer can only produce a visual representation, not the working site itself. The two disciplines require separate professionals, or one professional who has developed skills in both areas.
If you ask a graphic designer to build you a website and they agree without clarifying this distinction, make sure you understand exactly what you will receive — a design file, or a working website.
A web designer focuses specifically on the visual design of websites and digital interfaces. While there is overlap with graphic design — both professions think carefully about layout, colour, and typography — a web designer understands the constraints and possibilities of the web as a medium.
Web designers think about how a design behaves on different screen sizes, how users navigate through pages, and how visual choices affect loading speed and accessibility. They design with the intention of the result being built into a working website, which means working within technical realities that a print-focused graphic designer may not be aware of.
Some web designers also write front-end code — HTML and CSS — to bring their designs to life themselves. Others produce design files that a separate developer then builds. The line between web designer and front-end developer is often blurred in practice.
A full-stack developer handles both the visible parts of a website and the technical systems running behind the scenes. While their primary expertise is in code rather than pure design, experienced full-stack developers often develop a practical working knowledge of graphic and visual design through years of building complete websites from scratch.
This does not make them a replacement for a specialist graphic designer — particularly for complex brand identity work, print materials, or anything requiring deep creative expertise. However, for many everyday website tasks, a full-stack developer can comfortably handle minor graphic work: resizing and optimising images, creating simple banners or icons, adjusting colour schemes, or producing basic visual elements that a site needs.
For a small or medium-sized business, this overlap is often genuinely useful. Rather than coordinating between a graphic designer, a web designer, and a developer, a capable full-stack developer can handle the visual and technical requirements of a website project in one go — keeping the process simpler and the costs lower.
Think of it this way: a full-stack developer who does some graphic work is like a builder who can also tile. They are not a specialist tiler, but for most domestic jobs they will do the work perfectly well — and save you the cost and coordination of bringing in a separate tradesperson.
There are situations where a specialist graphic designer is the right choice and no amount of overlap from other disciplines is an adequate substitute:
For these tasks, the depth of creative expertise and technical knowledge of print production that a specialist graphic designer brings is difficult to replicate. It is worth investing in the right professional for the job.
| Role | Primary focus | Typical work |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designer | Visual communication across print and digital | Logos, branding, print materials, social media graphics |
| Web Designer | Visual design specifically for websites | Website layouts, user experience, digital mockups |
| Front-End Developer | Building the visible parts of a website in code | HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design |
| Back-End Developer | Server-side systems and databases | E-commerce, booking systems, user accounts, APIs |
| Full-Stack Developer | Complete website projects, front and back end | End-to-end website builds, often including minor graphic work |
If you are unsure which type of professional your project needs, a good starting point is to describe what you want the end result to be — not who you think you need — and let the professional advise you from there.
