I'm sure you remember those tedious lessons in high school about how to outline and organize an essay. Most of us just wanted to write the stupid essay and get it over with, to hell with organization. Unsurprisingly, the end product was usually incoherent and unfocused.

Unfortunately for those of you who hated planning essays, the process of designing a website or ad is quite similar. You have to do some careful planning beforehand, or else you will end up with utter chaos.

Organization is the mainstay of effective design, so if you think you are going to jump headlong into designing an ad or website and end up with a masterpiece, I'm sorry to disappoint you--it's not going to happen.

There are solid, unbending rules when it comes to good design. Here are some tips to help you structure the design of your own website or advertisement:

1. Know what point you are trying to make: This is the most important thing your website or ad will portray. It is the thing you want to stick in people's heads. It is the defining point of your design.

Try to sum up your main point in a few brief words, or a sentence, at most. Remember that good design is like a great work of art-- it is expressive and able to relate in some way to almost everyone. Once you decide what the focus of your site is, you have a headline and a design concept.

2. Include sub points in order of importance: Keep the sub points simple and only cover a few of the most important ideas. For ads, the sub points should be very brief, but for websites there is room to be more prolific. If there are many points that need to be made on the website, include them, so long as they are imperative to what you are trying to communicate.

3. Don't over-design: Also like a great work of art, good design includes only the things that need to be there. I'm sure you've been to sites that are so packed with content, graphics, and pictures all laid out on a gaudy background, that your eyes can't stay focused on one thing.

Remember, good details add to the overall effect, they never detract from it. If you have so much going on in your site or ad that people don't know where to look first, they will stop looking, period.

A good design should help the viewer to focus and understand what you are trying to communicate. If you keep your designs simple and follow a few basic rules, your viewer will have no problem understanding what is going on in your site or ad. Good design for websites and ads are like great works of art in many ways; however, they are unlike great works of art in that you don't want people to be confused by them.

About the author: See Keegan Michaels' top ways to promote your website and business at DrNunley's http://AffiliateTeacher.com Also get his free tips on earning with affiliate programs. Reach Keegan at keegan@affiliateteacher.com or 801-328-9006.