Hire someone (Score 0)

You won't like this answer but if I were you, I'd calculate my income versus the time it would take me to learn and do the design on my own and then hire someone for this budget. You can find great talent on http://www.elance.com/ and elsewhere.

If you insist on rolling your own, I'd start with this book: The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321534042