Visual design is not a beauty contest

While most designers aren’t literally asked to “make things look pretty” the general perception is that visual design is a finishing touch.

Most websites are highly functional, even those that are purely visual, there will always be functional element beyond that of a book, magazine or brochure. While turning pages is familiar to everyone, navigating a website is not always so straightforward.

Visual design is about organising the appearance of information so that users can find what they want and understand it when they get there

Far from being a veneer that sits over the functional elements of a site, the visual organisation of elements is key to user experience (UX), usability and functionality.

In other words - designing the appearance of information on a site so that users can find what they want and understand it when they get there.

By extension good functional design isn’t always “pretty” but that is not to say that function should win over form.

Setting aside for a moment the semantics of the design, the meaning conveyed by a site’s appearance and how that affects “the marketing message” and focusing on user experience:

Apparently, attractive things just “work better”. When we see something that looks attractive we feel good and this stimulates the brain making us think more creatively, and this in turn makes us more open to exploration and finding solutions.

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/indefenseofeyecandy
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6915480/Attractive-Things-Work-Better
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotion_design.html

If this is indeed the case, users should be more willing to engage with and explore and attractively designed site with personality.

Obviously, most desirable in a site design is a combination of the two: classic good looks and down to earth functionality - but these are inextricably linked and run much more than skin-deep.