Good web design demands first of all technical skills such as knowing required software and technologies. But if you don’t know anything about good web design rules, theory, approaches and principles you can’t make popular and attractive web design. Web design can be tricky. Since web design trends changes as frequently as the core technology, creating usable and eye-catching web design which delivers information and builds brand can be a challenge. While rules are made to be broken, these thoughts could help you understand more about good web design. This good web design principles can be applied to general graphic design in the most cases as well.

1. Precedence (Guiding the Eye)
2. Spacing
3. Navigation
4. Design to Build
5. Typography
6. Usability
7. Alignment
8. Clarity (Sharpness)
9. Consistency

Explanation and illustration of this principles with further reading on 9 Essential Principles for Good Web Design (PSDTuts).