The ideal balance between the two is a solid balance of form and function to deliver the envisioned idea and to generate the ideal user experience. The key aspect of finding out a site's functionality is involved in the intial reason for the site's existance. While developing any successful web site it is important to have a strong purpose and to follow that to the end. The style of the site should not complete obscure it's substance. Ideally a balance should be found between the two that allows for a consistent user experience while maintaining the site's information and functionality.
Good design is clean, elegant layout that is easy to read and simple to navigate.
4.3 Page Weight Considerations Minimizing the number of graphics on your pages and keeping the size of the graphics you create to a mininum is crucial when creating a web site intended for a modem using internet audience. You could worry less about minimizing the download time. It is generally a good idea to keep in mind the user's experience when surfing a page on a modem. Too often designers and clients who view pages on a LAN with high speed connections forget to test their pages for loading quickness on a small desktop PC or laptop connected to the internet through a standard dialup connection. The techniques used to increase the download speed for a page are constantly evolving.