Five elements of good web design

1. Text never runs against column edges, borders, images, or captions. These items are separated by as much whitespace as possible.
2. Headings are easily distinguished from paragraphs and list items.
3. Headings and other emphasized items cannot be mistaken for links. Links are distinguishable from their surrounding text and do not resemble other items on the page.
4. Contact information, site maps, search, FAQs, and other “help” items are easily located.
5. Each page contains information about a single topic OR serves as an index to a group of related pages.

I violate #3 fairly often, even here. It’s still a good rule.