The bad news is, it isn't something you can learn by reading an article. The best way is to just take a look around at some things you take for granted. Bothe good and bad design surround us all. It's more than just stationary, pamphlets, and web pages. Design is art that has use in society.

So the key to it all is to remember that first and foremost, you are an artist. A great sites are truly works of art, as is all great design, whether it be on a cereal box or in a CD's liner notes. Which helpfully brings us to my latest trip to the record store.

I bought the new Radiohead CD. Get home, open the casing, and my first thoughts are of what a great web page the whole thing would make. (Note: If this starts happening to you, it's not too late to turn back. Step away from the computer, go outside and never look back. It may be too late for me, but you can still save yourself.) Forget about the music - the liner notes are truly a work of art. Half the pages are pure beauty for beauty's sake, tortured imaginings laid down in pictorial form. In other words, really neat pictures. On the remaining pages, the exact opposite - stark white letters on a pure black background, spelling out lyrics in the embodiment of pure content. What loveliness, and all I can think of is how fast a page like that would load. And how neat the typeface is. Sad, I know, but I can't help it.

Now, back to the point. I think it was something like The Web = Design = Art = Radiohead liner notes. Yeah, that sounds good. Or have I just spent too much time listening to this album instead of working on this month's column?

Possible.