The Non-Designer's Design Book - Robin Williams

Important things:

• Grouping items is good design.
• Clarity is more important than fancy design.
• Follow one strong line when aligning things.
• Know the rules you're breaking before you break it.
• Use repetition but don't be afraid of variety. 
• Be bold with contrasting elements.

Things I disagree with:

• Trying to make everything more dramatic.
• Ex.: If you use a repetitive 1-point rule, make it a 4-point rule
• Ex.: If you want to use a central alignment, make it bolder than if you would with other alignments.  

As an example of good design, here is a screenshot of the website for the film "The Revenant".
This website utilizes the flowing line through the middle to portray the journey as one scrolls down. Another repeating element is the text that can be on the right of the curved line.