I totally agree with dave, signcraft magazine helps alot, even in the issues where there isnt a design article, you can find tons of design tips, The best way i found in creating signage and logos, is looking at others techniques and figuring out how they came to the finished result. Designing in B/W first is a must in order to get contrast right when you are first starting out. a couple other great books are Antonellis logo design books, found at amazon. I give you props to for your explaination and am all for someone going after their dream, despite their experience with it. As long as your having fun with it.