C-R-A-P-ify Your Graphic Design

Robin Williams spells out the four basics of effective graphic design in her book The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice. The following from Daniel H. Pink's A Whole New Mind (2006):

1. Contrast. "If the elemenst (type, color, size, line thicknesses, shape, space, etc.) are not the same, then make them very different."
2. Repetition. Repeating visual elements "helps develop the organization and strengthens the unity" of your brochure, newsletter, or letterhead.
3. Alignment. "Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every elements should have some visual connection with another element on the page."
4. Proximity. "Items relating to each other should be grouped close together."