😃 Nice stuff...
As the above posts say, it's much connected to your target-group, or rather: the customers target group.
And the web's purpose.
A heavy design may go well with some, other will find it annoying - it depends a bit on what the site purpose is.
If it's gonna be viewed over and over again by the same group of users (like phpbuilder), the design must not become annoying over time (phpbuilder's don't ;-).
On heavy dynamical sites the design should be forgotten by the surfer at the first ten or so visits, leaving him free to focus on the content. And be pleasured by the environment they're in, of course ;-)
Content probably is the reason for his repeated visit - hardly so the design...
But a altogehter different view would be of concern if the web was a sparkling presentation of a new product, an invitation to a party or any other webpublication where the lifetime of the site is limited. Or an art-web or any of the other hardcoded-stuff out there that's bound to other rules of user friendlyness than the dynamic website.
Anyhow, there's some everyone may agree at:
It should work.
A web that doesn't work isn't very well liked. No one like errors.
It must be navigable.
Information design is more important the bigger the site gets.
knutm :p
