I think that if I can learn to make nice graphics, anybody can. It's largely just a few Photoshop filters and techniques. My wife is a graphic design major and she is impressed by my UI graphics, even though I could never hope to draw a simple picture of some natural object.
Code still matters a lot when it comes to UIs, though. Motion and interactivity are just as important as the static images found in attractive UIs. For instance, Convert's magnifying-glass effect and Tweetie 2's (now widespread) pull-to-refresh idiom are neat tricks not possible with Photoshop skills alone.
This was on HN a while back, and I thought it was a good summary. It doesn't hold your hand on how to actually achieve the effects but it gets you started:
Over the past year, I've been studying up on drawing, typography and other graphic design stuff. If not to get to proficiency myself, at least to get conversant in the topics so I can properly communicate with people I hire or work with. This will definitely help. Thanks again!
Code still matters a lot when it comes to UIs, though. Motion and interactivity are just as important as the static images found in attractive UIs. For instance, Convert's magnifying-glass effect and Tweetie 2's (now widespread) pull-to-refresh idiom are neat tricks not possible with Photoshop skills alone.