I don't have access to AIM at the moment, but if you want to go with email you could reach me at titus at centerstation dot net. Or we could just post here.
The biggest thing for achieving 'professionalism' would be the colors. Find a palate of three to four colors that work well together, and use them consistently thorough out the site. I like going with one or two bold colors for headers, titles, etc. I try keep the rest of the site restricted to two or three more laid back and integrated colors, something readable for text, a easy-on-the-eyes background, and another color for borders and other separation junk (as well as text hyperlinks).
Second point to keep in mind is consistency. Find a look (colors, text formatting, design, etc) and keep with it throughout the entire site.
Thirdly, think user-friendly. Keep the navigation easy to use, make the site using ‘older’ technology (HTML 4.0 and CSS2 is what I use). That way the majority of people can see the site in all its glory. Keep the images down, eg, think creatively. Just because you can make the entire site in photoshop doesn’t mean you should. Clever use of background images, as well as CSS’s positioning power can reduce the size of the page dramatically, making it more inviting for dial-up users, who are still in the majority. Also, remember, search engines can’t read text that’s in an image.
