The new, 10th edition of “instructional Technology and Media for Learning” by Smaldino et al is out. on p. 191 there is a good layout of the basics for design as discuss during the design session of January 22, 2013. Link to the handouts of that session here:  https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2013/01/22/basics-of-design/

This is the link to a scanned copy of the pages related to visual design: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/informedia/design/visual_design_smaldino.pdf