It’s pretty simple to edit master pages as long as you know where to put the HTML/JavaScript/CSS.
I inserted the banner image and the CSS menu into the Master Page on this site. The JavaScript was inserted into the header but I inserted the CSS at the bottom of the page (this is so it can override the default CSS).
The HTML was added to the Master Page by inserting a new table row under the ms-globalTitleArea table cell. This is one of the best places for a banner as it spans the width of the page.
The flash banner was added in the actual page as I didn’t want the flash banner to appear on any other page except the home page.
The style could be made into a theme but remember that the Master Page will not contain the JavaScript or HTML unless it has been inherited from the parent site. It might be a good idea to create a theme for the colours and other CSS properties but also create a Master Page for the HTML and Java. You could them save this as a template to reuse for a number of sites!
Do you think this is the best way? should the code all be stored in the master page or maybe I should use embedded master pages?
I would appreciate your feedback,
Tony 🙂