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I have also accepted that I am not good at designing but I will not accept that I cannot get good at it.

In the last couple of months I've come along decently (working in the few spare hours I have!). I recommend that you narrow down to ONE package, IE Photoshop, and then start doing online tutorials.

There is a wonderful collection available to start with, my favorite place are the *tuts.com sites. psdtuts.com or nettuts.com

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I have gotten good at following tutorials, but I can't make anything original. This might have been made worse when I visited a designer friend of mine at his work place; if the pro spends a whole day on one logo or photo, what hope do I have? life is too short, and my "friend" is affordable ;-)

I agree that learning a new design application can be done, and is even a worthwhile activity. However, I don’t think that knowing a software suite equates to being good at design.

Knowing the tools is a part of the package, yes, but there is more to design than knowing how to use the software. A designer with an eye for aesthetics and an understanding of both your product and your target users can be a very valuable asset.

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