What’s the difference between the two? I guess it depends on how you think about it.

Aesthetics
I’m a big fan of Starcraft, and they are releasing a new version soon. They redesigned Battle.net a while back, and gave it a whole new aesthetic appeal. It looks and feels futuristic and definitely appeals to the audience of gamers. But there’s much more to it than just the fancy look and feel. It’s the great design behind the art that makes this site work. They’ve done a great job considering their audience, and what they are used to using, mainly games.

Design
What makes great design? Well being able to quickly understand and use it are of utmost importance. Take Craigslist for example. That website has been standing the test of time. It has been designed so well that it feels so basic, when in fact there’s several steps that occur before you can post. Maybe it’s due partially to the fact that there’s been no investment in aesthetics. Or perhaps it’s just a stroke of luck. Or even the application of the ‘thin slicing’ concept from Malcom Gladwell. In any event, websites that have good design stand the test of time. They are easy to use. They can be super pretty, or just enough to eek by.