I consider clarity, simplicity, and a consideration for one's audience to be the most important elements in good design. As long as the message is understood, as long as the information stayed pure during its voyage, as long as the goal is met (and this usually involves the transfer of information), then I have done my job.

Everything else—fancy colors, animation, rollovers, all these bells and whistles—is secondary. By their nature, they cause slower downloads and more often than not, the misinterpretation of ideas.

But how, as a web "designer", am I supposed to justify my fees if I don't include "tricks"? Aren't designers hired to "jazz up" the page, cram as much "killer design" as we can muster, just so we'll have something obviously tangible to show for the paycheck?

I like using the "umpire" defense. Notice how no one ever pays attention to a good umpire? It's only the bad umpires that people pay attention to, the ones that get in the way of the game being played. It's the same with designers, or at least I'd like to think so.

The following are some guidelines I use when designing and developing a web site. They won't teach you anything fancy or flashy, just plain common sense. Enjoy.