Style modifications should never involve PHP coding. In fact, you can do many "hacks" from vBulletin 2 as simply template modifications now.

I'd respectfully disagree with this. Often my styles will have extra dynamic bits in the header that do require PHP coding-- whether it goes in global.php or the php_include or a template conditional, it is still PHP coding for the style.

Well what I do, is since I can't really get a scanner right now, I start out with a look in Photoshop. Although I'm naughty and hate 800 x 600 so I usually make 1024 x 768 only skins :S. Either way, I get the main forum look. Then I usually take the look of the forum display and redo it but keeping it same to an extent, and then making the postbit out of it. After that I send it to Abed to be coded, yes it does cost depending lol. Then we look over it for little bugs, and after that, I do all of the icons. (I hate doing the icons, but yes they have to be done :S)