Know Your Audience

Design in a style that will appeal to your audience's tastes. Use your audience profile to define a visual style for your site which they will find appealing. A site for a general corporate audience will need to convey a different image than a site which should appeal to restaurant managers and hobbyist connoisseurs interested in exotic fruit.

Maintain a Consistent Visual Identity

Establish a visual identity by using related visual elements throughout your site. A consistent visual style gives a site a sense of unity and reinforces users' experience that they are rooted in a certain place. This includes use and placement of logos and navigation.

Things to Avoid

Present your message efficiently and avoid clutter. Every element of your design should support the goal of your message. While using purely decorative elements is legitimate, keep in mind that a tremendous amount of information is competing for users' attention. Information overload can cause discomfort and prevent users from finding the information they want to find.