Introduction -
Firstly this is how I play Vlad and it seems to work very well as its got a nice amount of damage and also Survivability. Also note that if you want a full explanation of the build please find SmartxAxBSH version as I got a lot of help from that but just tweaked the items a little bit.

Summoner Spells -
Ignite and Ghost, my 2 personal favourites for any caster character.
The Ignite works really well with your ultimate, firstly for the increase damage and also so the enemy cant heal through the damage explosion that will go on in team fights while the ultimate is up on them.
Ghost works very well with Sanguine Pool, use ghost then sanguine when you are in a "Run the hell away" situation.
Flash is also possible for people instead of ghost, but I would always have Ignite. (If you take flash be sure to put the mastery point in Blink of an Eye instead of Haste).

Runes -
Basic rune setup for Vlad, work very well in conjunction with his spells and his early game dominance. When I first started playing him I thought about getting pure health seals (Seal of Fortitude) but then noticed that by level 5 the health per level runes were basically the same.

Skill Sequence -
Can vary depending on how well you are doing, but its usually always best to put atleast 1 point into tides of blood to stack the buff up (which is amazing in team fights). Getting up Transfusion to rank 5 at level 9 is a must, huge damage / life steal = destruction!

If you are in mid its possible to get a kill as soon as you hit level 6 aslong as you have been passively agressive for the start of the laning phase. Use ghost / Ultimate / Transfusion / Tides of Blood / Puddle and it can usually ensure a kill.

Item Build -
(Note : Item build is looking at the latest patch where Spirit Visage gives health)

Boots - Sorcerer's Shoes are the best for Vlad, when used with the Magic Pen runes it knocks the enemys magic resist very low (If they haven't bought Magic Resist items). If you are having problems with stuns then buy Mercury's Treads (The Magic Resist will also help late game against casters).

Spirit Visage - Very nice item for Vlad. Magic Resist to help against those annoying casters with a longer range (Why nerf Transfusion range... WHY?!), the health is also a nice addition and the extra healing from spells is awesome. This can be traded out late game if you feel its taking up a slot that can be used for something else.
Mejai's SoulStealer - You can also buy this either before or just after Spirit Visage, luckily they are both cheap items. The main factor on whether or not to buy this early depends on how well you are doing, if you aren't doing very well then it may be necessary to buy a few more survivability items then come back to this later. Buying it earlier though can be beneficial because you can stack it up faster ready for late game.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter - Again, a very nice item for Vlad. Base health and Ability power helps with everything and the slowing works on all spells so its useful when running away (Quick transfusion on pursuing enemy) or when in team fights (Sanguine Pool slow to stop enemies retreating before they meet there demise).

Will of the Ancients - Base amount of ability power for you, nice amount for team mates and the extra healing is awesome for you and your team. Works with Tides of Blood also so the health loss from using that ability isn't to dramatic. This is what often replaces my Spirit Visage when I need the spot for another item.

Zhonya's Hourglass / Deathcap - Now that Zhonyas ring has been removed it is completely up to how well you think you are doing or how well you think you are surviving. Hourglass will help you be a bit more tanky due to the fact you can run in to initiate letting them use ultimates then go invulnerable, where as Deathcap will increase your overall damage dramatically. Its completely up to the user but I would probably go for the Deathcap (Because im an offensive player).

The last item I get varies on what kind of setup they have.
If it consists of a lot of casters (magic) then I usually go for Abyssal Scepter. Ability power, Magic Resist and 20 Magic Pen on enemies for you and team mates around you can come in handy.
If its alot of physical damage then I usually go for Thornmail for that extra chunk of Armor. The damage return when being hit is also very nice against those physicals to help out your team in getting them down.

Masteries -
Masteries are the basic setup for Vlad, going into Offense to get the magic pen and then the rest into support to get some very nice upgrades while missing any that have anything to do with mana. It is also viable to put points into the defense tree instead of support if you feel you want to play a bit more tanky which can also work very well.

So, that's it for my Vladimir guide. Please comment and rate so I can see how well others are getting on with this build. I haven't played it in a while so I am hoping it is still up to date and can still do competitive gameplay.