Graphic pizzazz is not the point. In fact, an over-emphasis on graphics will, in all likelihood, get in the way of site usability and getting your point across. I expect a clean, attractive, usable site. You can get an outstanding grade for the final project even if you're not a talented graphic designer. I will not be proofreading your sites, looking for errors, but if I find a lot of these kinds of problems your grade will suffer.
Nothing makes a Web site appear less credible than a host of grammar and spelling errors.
If this is all new to you and you develop a degree of competence by the end of the quarter, you'll score well here. I will be adding to this site regularly. Changes and updates will always be posted on that site. I am not going to have scheduled office hours this quarter. But I will be around Fisk pretty much full-time.