[guynamedloren]

> You really have to know the fundamentals of design, grid system, the trends, psychology of UX, and know-how to using the software packages. ... golden ratio, rule of thirds, color theory ...

I disagree. I literally know none of those things, and have never even heard of most of them. I would consider myself a fairly competent designer having done several freelance projects and as well as my own (http://letspocket.com, http://madebyloren.com, http://snowday2011.com, http://beetnikaesthetics.com) and always receiving the highest complements on my work. I think you're approaching this from an academic standpoint and neglecting the fact that it is very, very possible to learn design from a "hacker" standpoint.

[accomplice]

I'm sorry you received such praise for the design of these, you may have been mislead. But yes, it's its entirely possible to hack together a look-a-like design and people will like it, but that does not make it good design. The same principle applies to code for what I hope are obvious reasons.