As the foundation of the site, a solid and intelligent structure will provide a framework from which even greater possibilities will arise. The three most important things to consider, initially, concerning content are the typical visitors' attention span, bandwidth and server space. Then comes navigation. Sketching it out the old fashioned way works for most sites but can in itself get quite ridiculous. This is the where we begin actually using a computer.
Graphics can make or break a site with one ugly button.
Basic Scripting is simply including the Javascript most pages contain that help control everything from swapping images during mouse-overs to allowing access to restricted areas. Basic scripting is where the first level of interactivity is generated. I, personally, can't get enough of it, but I agree that a touch of class is often better than an extravaganza. I especially enjoy animations that surprise and educate, but the web has a lot to do with fun too. Creating animated gifs is an art form in itself and worth every minute to learn.