The example websites all had 'obviously' bad design. They look like they're from 2000. I'm more curious about the subtle things that affect design; how to go from good to great.
That is more advanced and deserves another blog post (which I plan to do). It is also dependent on what style your site is trying to achieve. The same general guidelines still apply but with even more emphasis on following those guidelines precisely. As I said in the post, 5px is 5px, not 7px. All the small things will add up to generate a visually appealing whole.