[mdolon]

The best advice I can give for someone wanting to learn good web design is get a feel for the aesthetics first - visit CSS and design galleries (cssremix.com, cssdrive.com, unmatchedstyle.com, drawar.com, etc.) and look through designs noting trends, styles and layouts. These designs are showcased because they are aesthetically pleasing, which in turn effects the presentation of your product.

Then start visiting tutorial and resource sites (smashingmagazine.com, tutsplus.com, etc.) and learn as much as you can on techniques and even more on current trends. After you do that it's a matter of imitating bits and pieces of proven designs and following trends. Steal until you are capable and skilled, then unleash your creativity for your final product.

Hope that makes sense.

[isleyaardvark]

I'd have to disagree entirely. I like good aesthetics, but they should be the last thing to learn. There's no point in putting CSS animations on something if it doesn't help the users do what they want, or worse, hinder their progress.

Start with UI/UX, particularly Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think". It's a short book, once you finish it I am confident you will agree with me. UI/UX not only affects the polish of the website, but you may find yourself changing your conception of how your website should be built on a fundamental level.

[mdolon]

I didn't suggest adding CSS animations at all, but rather looking at CSS/design galleries that showcase great design. I recommended this (and still do) because understanding (and identifying) good design is something that takes time to learn and requires building a knack for. It's essentially doing research on what works and what doesn't.

User interface is critical to good design - I completely agree - which is why I suggested taking notes on all aspects of the featured websites, including their layouts. You can have a functional interface that is unattractive, just as you can have an attractive interface that isn't functional - they are both important in their own rights. Trends are also important to identify and learn from, as they highlight proven techniques and methodologies that you can build on.

I haven't read that book but I'll check it out, thanks for the suggestion.

[grayrest]

This isn't bad advice. In particular, when you see a piece of design figure out exactly what you like about it. Is it the color palette? composition? typography? copy? The goal is to learn the rules so you can decide when to follow/break them. It'll also help you figure out who's actually a good graphic designer and who's merely aping the trendsetters.

Just be aware that both graphic and interaction design are fields that are as deep as software development. I say this because I talk to a number of developers who want to do the same thing and they're really not prepared to put in years of effort to be good. If you think you're good after a few months, you're the equivalent of that guy who thinks he's an awesome developer because he knows VB6. Fortunately, simply avoiding absolutely sucking design-wise is enough to get you through as long as your content/app is compelling.