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Generally speaking, which skillset is more valuable?

More specifically, using a typical CRUD page as an example, who gets the bigger cut - the designer or the developer? Let’s say the designer creates some snazzy templates complete with html and css. The developer creates the database table(s), and writes the server and client side scripts.

developer = the architect, builder, carpenter, electrician, and plumber
designer = the painter and interior decorator

The only reason (IMO, as a developer 😉) that designers are seens equals to developers is because the work they do is visible to the public.

An Artist is more valuable than a Mechanic anyday.

The best coded website still looks like crap without good style. 😉

From my experience, indeed both are important, but usually when we talk about backend programming, indeed the dev is what matter.

If we talk about general small website with just few code, it’s 50/50.

A lot of people get caught up in the purely visual flash of things (and depending on who you talk to, designing and artworking are two separate disciplines), but a designer is first and foremost a problem solver - they have to make things intuitive and usable without sacrificing visual aesthetic. Speaking specifically for web pages, this includes how pages relate to one another, how forms are set up and navigation to scratch the surface.

The question of who’s more valuable fluctuates depending on the project, but in general, designer > developer. Mind you, neither will do you a damned bit of good if the content isn’t there… 😉

If you have a developer and a designer standing next to each other the person who is going to make more money is the person who asks for more and actually gets it.

If you are making money as a contractor, then you are running a business and that is a skill set which is not mentioned on your poll.

And what about the person who snagged the job in the first place?  Hopefully that person makes off with the most money no matter where that person fits into your poll.

There are other skills which are so much more important to making money such as networking, building a client base, branding and the list goes on. 

The rest of the skills are easy to get.  Anyone can be a designer or developer.

Everything you say is true John. But all that aside, when creating a typical form where the designer writes the template and the developer makes it work, who’s more valuable?

Designer? I think so… 50/50?

That question is unanswerable because you are not asking the right questions.  Either one of them could be more valuable depending on a large number of variables, some of which I mentioned in my post. 

However…

Freelanceswitch.com did a “gloabal salary survey” and came up with these results.  According to those results a graphics designer is about the same as a programmer and a web designer is a little lower. 

That makes sense to me because their chart shows that people who are more specialized seem to make more.  A web designer is sort of a jack of all trades.  The exception seems to be the content people (writers.)

An Artist is more valuable than a Mechanic anyday.

The best coded website still looks like crap without good style. 😉

Yes.

What about a typical intranet site though? Design is less focused on visual bling and more to do with a logical, intuitive layout. That’s the designer’s role and although extremely important, is it worth more than the code?

Thanks for the link John.

That question is unanswerable because you are not asking the right questions.

I thought that I used a fairly specific example:

using a typical CRUD page as an example, who gets the bigger cut - the designer or the developer? Let’s say the designer creates some snazzy templates complete with html and css. The developer creates the database table(s), and writes the server and client side scripts.

I made a mistake here. Designer++, Developer—;)

A developer makes designs for the long run. A designer makes temporary designs.
A designer makes things for the eyes. A developer makes things for the hands.

A developer is the iceberg and the designer is the titanic. They both have their value but the developers work is not as visible as the designers work which is a disadvantage in a world where everything is judged by looks.

Let’s say the designer creates some snazzy templates complete with html and css.

In my practice designer is designer. No html and css. Design only.

I’d put more money on the developer.