Thats one way of looking at it.

But in reality, GOOD DESIGN means good communication.
So, a reason his ‘basic’ site that converts really well, can do this because of the way it has been created. It is effective communication.

I personally didn’t do a course on ‘design’ as such. I did a bachelor on visual communication. If a site communicates well, the graphic will add to the experience. So even though, this is the page where I should be selling my services, by stating how ‘cool’ your site will look, or how much your conversion rate will jump because of my graphics, the reality is that if the communication on a page is not concise and effective, the graphics I provide won’t help much, apart from making the site look aesthetically pleasing.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, look at the information you have on your site, and create hierarchy within it. most marketers know to do this and understand the concept of a Headline, sub-headline, sale copy, bullet points and call to action (not forgetting the infamous P.S and P.P.S).

Analyze this information, get rid of the clutter and ‘fluff’. Your costumer is concerned with results and you sale with happen through emotional links to these results. This is the foundation to a good sales page. And of course the graphics WILL help the cause if this is applied.