for the webmaster who doesn't want offbeat design

[Junebug]

I think the best defense against peer pressure to make your website only one particular thing is to have clear goals for your website. If your website serves a particular purpose, there's no ambiguity about what ultimate goal your web design is for. The web wasn't designed just to exist in its own right, it was meant for allowing people to create things. If you know what you're creating, then people's idle opinions don't really matter, you already know what you need your website to be for that purpose.

I think web building that's for its own sake has no long term life as people inevitably give their energy to what intrinsically motivates them. It's a rare person who has a website just because. It's more common for people to have fansites, personal homepages, online wikis, etc.

[TheFrugalGamer]

Agree with so much here! I'm more visually-oriented, and consider myself to be a largely visual artist, so while I love creative and "quirky" web design, I don't think anyone should ever feel pressured to implement it if that's not what they want. Saying websites should look a certain way is just like saying everyone should dress a certain way. There are some folks who make their own clothing, and style it to suit their personality specifically, whether it's ostentatious and colorful, or subdued and formal. Others pick, mix, and match until they're happy, and a whole lot of people own nothing but t-shirts and jeans because they just want to be comfortable and don't stress about clothes.

All of those things are perfectly fine. And the most important part is that you're going with the option that feels truest to you!
I'll be honest, even though I love visual arts, some of my favorite blogs are literally just text on dark backgrounds, because I love what they have to say, and I don't subscribe for the aesthetics. Everyone is creative in their own way!