This is (almost) one of those age-old questions! What makes a good layout?

It's not as simple as you think and particularly difficult to describe in words. What's important to remember is that there are several factors that seriously affect a layout. White space (or simply blank areas) are very effective and often it can be important to leave space blank than try to cram something into every area you have. Design theory is also very important - as is the use of certain colours. If you've got the right balance of white space, the right design theory and good colours that go well together then you're pretty much there.

There are of course basic design rules - don't use colours that clash, don't use too many bright colours together, use contrasting colours for text and it's background, etc.

I could, of course go into more detail, but 'what makes a good layout' is the subject of plenty of books, web site's, etc. If you want to learn more, I suggest buying a book or looking at the reading material we've linked to.