How a website designer differs from a developer
A designer decides how the site looks and how a visitor moves through it: page structure, block layout, fonts, colours, buttons and the mobile version. The deliverable is a mockup, an image of the future pages.
A developer turns that mockup into a working site: builds the pages, connects the inquiry form, payments and admin panel, and keeps loading speed under control. If you hire only a designer, you end up with a nice file but not a website. Ask early who will do the second half of the work and when.
What a designer's work should include
A good designer does not start by drawing. First they ask what you sell, to whom, and what a visitor should do on the site: call, message you on Telegram or place an order. The mockup comes after that.
- A conversation about goals and audience, plus a look at competitors
- Site structure and the logic of the pages
- Design of the home page and key pages for phone and desktop
- Choice of fonts, colours, illustrations and photos
- Styling of buttons, forms and review blocks
- Handover of files to the developer and fixes during the build
Freelancer, small team or agency
A freelancer suits a simple business-card site or a single landing page, as long as you are ready to brief them clearly and prepare texts and photos yourself. The risk is that one person rarely handles design, code and ad setup equally well, and if they get busy, deadlines slip.
A small team or agency usually takes the whole chain, from mockup to launch and analytics. That costs more up front but is easier to manage, because one contractor is responsible for the result. The real difference between options is rarely price. It is whether the person will talk about what the site is supposed to achieve, not only how it looks.
What matters on the Tashkent market
Most visitors arrive on a phone, coming from Instagram, Telegram channels, search or OLX listings. That makes the mobile layout the main version, not an add-on. Review every mockup at smartphone size.
Connections outside the capital can be unstable, so heavy animations and oversized photos hurt sales. Customers are used to paying through Click and Payme, and shoppers on Uzum expect a simple checkout, so every extra step costs you orders. Think about language too: many niches need both Uzbek and Russian versions, and the design has to handle text of different lengths.
How to judge a portfolio and what to ask
Look at whether the projects solved a business problem, not at how many images there are. Ask for live websites rather than screenshots of mockups, and open them on your phone.
- Does the site load fast and work without errors on a smartphone
- Can you tell within seconds what the company does
- Has the designer worked in your niche or a similar one
- Who builds the pages and who handles edits after launch
- Will you receive the source files and account access
- How will results be measured once the site is live
What shapes the price
The cost depends on the number of pages and how unique they are, whether the design is drawn from scratch or based on a template, how many revision rounds are included, what features you need, such as online payment or a customer account, and who prepares the texts and photos. A cheap mockup without development or analytics often leads to extra payments later, so compare offers by scope of work rather than by the final figure.
If you would rather not assemble a team of separate freelancers, you can order a site as a complete project. At markdev we handle website development from structure and design through launch and analytics, without inflated promises. If you have a specific task, tell us about it and we will suggest a sensible way to approach it.
FAQ
What is the difference between a website designer and a web developer?
A designer creates the look and page logic as a mockup. A developer turns the mockup into a working site with forms, payments and an admin panel. Most projects need both.
Can I use a template instead of a custom design?
For a small business with a clear offer, a template is often enough. Custom design makes sense when you need to stand out, sell a complex service or add non-standard features.
Do I need an Uzbek version of the site?
In many niches, yes, since part of your audience searches and reads in Uzbek. Plan for two language versions in the design from the start so you do not have to rework blocks later.
What should I look at in a designer's portfolio?
Live sites opened on a phone: speed, how clear the offer is, and how easy the forms are to use. Attractive mockups without working projects say little about results.
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