We were just discussing this issue the other day. That is why we want to make sure we have more than one designer instead of one designer and everyone else codes.

Colour’s ability to alter moods and set tones is definitely overlooked!

Inspirational Quote Maniac, you’re right about some blogs that get lots of traffic and have tons of loyal readers just because of the great content, despite a poor interface design.

The idea is simple - give people what they want and they’ll come back - with friends!

1 : Failure to Communicate - aaah, the essence of communication tumbling down because one doesn’t understand how a website works, or what it is all about. Fancy images, fancy flash, fancy labeling around the site that doesn’t explain itself, all results in users not knowing what a website is about, and thus not knowing much what the website wants to say. In my view, a website should constantly work on improving its communication methods.

2 : Usability = Success - good example about the fridge. Some people keep cold beer in the patio if they live in San Francisco, by the way. =P You are right, so many beautiful sites are horrible at navigation and clarity, yet those site owners keep stressing how beautiful their site is. Beauty is nothing without the actual mental meaning.

3 : Meticulousness is the sign of professionalism - Excellent point! If I listed all the changes I make to my site everyday, the changelog for each page would be at least a few pages long. Small things count. Even italicizing quotes helps a reader reader faster and better, and understanding things better too.

4 : Accessibility and Standards - Again, extremely important. As time passes, many people are forgetting that not everyone reads, sees or hears the same way. Flickr is great, but what about those who cannot see well? We should try to make our sites as much accessible as possible, for both different human beings and different browsers, etc.

5 : Typography - I have to work more on this. I like great fonts, and at the same time, I want to use something that everyone can see without having to change or install anything on their systems.

6 : Color - Again, an important point. I have been experimenting with color a lot, going from red to blue to white to shades of grey to orange to blue to blue and grey and green, etc. I have to change some colors soon, again, as part of the “spring redesign.”

7 : Content is Crucial - This is the most important part in any design. Content can be anything from written words to visual designs and more, depending on the site. The content should indeed “represent the essence of the site”; I completely agree.

8 : Trademark Style - I am guessing if it is natural, a person cannot recognize his/her trademark style?

I think your list is great and a good cheat-sheet to keep in mind when designing or redesigning a site.

For me, I consider the content aspect to be the most important, then small details and effective communication and accessibility and usability [in no specific order]. The rest can be worked on all the time and are important to keep in mind also, but the above are essential.