[Probably]

Hello,
I hope I have posted this in the correct forum. I am a moderator and administrator of a site, I am not the owner. The owner though has given me access to post here to ask any questions I may have. Currently we have a tech that handles all issues with the servers, backups, etc. I handle the moderating, and I am familiar with everything in the adminstrative panel. However, we really don't have a designer. The look of our forum works well for the types of members we target (36,000+ members and growing), but it is bland. I feel the forum is not living up to the full potential of everything that the vbulletin format offers. Our look offers no *pop*, and I would like to learn how to update it a little. Meaning maybe add new buttons, add a new color theme, I especially like the hack "quick style chooser", but I have no idea how to learn this stuff. All of you seem very knowledgeable here, are you all designers? I am just an average person here, with I feel decent intelligence, but what's the learning curve here? How do I go about learning how to install hacks, and utlilize all the stuff that is out there for a vbulletin forum? Ultimately I would really like the site to have a portal which I know the owner would also like. Do I stand a chance at learning this stuff?
Can someone point me in some direction that may teach me?
Thank you for your time,