Audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure.
Make all visual distinctions as subtle as possible, but still clear and effective.
The minimum we should hope for with any display technology is that it should do no harm.
If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.
Above all else show the data.
Great design is not democratic; it comes from great designers. If the standard is lousy, then develop another standard.