[milestinsley]

I recommend Blueprint CSS grid framework (http://www.blueprintcss.org/) . It's really easy to use and forces you to think about layout (which is the root of good web design). You get some basic typography styles for free too.

I've found that it has helped a lot in quickly putting something together that looks good and can be easily improved incrementally as your site evolves.

You might find it (or something similar) useful when it comes to building the fundamental site structure.

Edit: clickable link.

[davidw]

I started using that, and it certainly helps, but there's more to it than that.

[tripngroove]

+1 Blueprint has good typographic defaults. Adjust for color and you can basically roll with it.