Or: 37signals: An Introduction to Using Patterns in Web Design

I’m going to show you how to sidestep your habits and assumptions and use patterns to make better design decisions. A lot of fancy stuff has been written about patterns. To be simple and clear in this introduction, I’ll just call them chunks.

Approaching information design from this angle really works – breaking down your site requirements into chunks makes design work more like assembling a collage than creating a free-form design from scratch. This short writeup is a nice little introduction to the process. It’s from a data design point of view, but the basic concepts can work on many other levels.