There's plenty of free banner design sites on the net. Basically, you do things like choose a background, choose a font, etc. and the site spits out a basic, ugly sort of thing.
Getting free quality graphics is likely impossible, though.
The first is fine if all you're doing is a personal site or something like that. If you want to roll your own logo, try looking up logo tutorials on google and see if you get any ideas. Be sure to exclude the programming language "logo" from consideration.
-Thos. Zinn
"Children, never fuss or fret
Nor let unreason'd tempers rise
Your little hands were never meant
To pluck out one anothers eyes"
-McGuffey's Reader
“We are at a crossroads. One path leads to despair and the other to total extinction. I pray I have the wisdom to choose wisely.”
ستّة أيّام يا كلب