A List Apart has this fantastic article on how to handle the inevitable feedback from a client that they “don’t like” an aspect of your design. One gem:

Aesthetics are a matter of taste. Design is not just aesthetics. I’m always saying it, but it’s worth repeating: there are aesthetic decisions in design, but they are meant to contribute to the design as a whole. The design as a whole is created for an audience, and with goals in mind, so objectivity is required and should be encouraged.

A good reminder that, like real estate, the three most important elements of a design project are: Audience, audience, audience.