One thing to keep in mind is that "graphic design" and "user interface engineering" tend to get conflated. They are not the same thing, but pretty closely relat

One thing to keep in mind is that "graphic design" and "user interface engineering" tend to get conflated. They are not the same thing, but pretty closely related. I find that the best way to proceed is to design an "overall style" for the site first. That means, pick a color scheme, typography, and base layout according to the principles mentioned in other comments (e.g. CRAP). Thereafter, the problem becomes user-interface engineering (which, in turn, may lead you to change your design). I found this talk to be really helpful: http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1952-i-gave-a-talk-on-ui-fundamentals-for-programmers http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1952-i-gave-a-talk-on-ui-fund... Also, +1 on The Non-Designer's Design Book. I've also found many useful articles here: http://www.azarask.in/blog/ http://www.azarask.in/blog/ In particular, http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/know_when_to_stop_designing_quantitatively/ http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/know_when_to_stop_designing_... and http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/how-to-critique-an-interface/ http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/how-to-critique-an-interface...