Excel!? Are you serious?

Just checking we're on the same wavelength here, you're talking about visual structure / page layout?

Personally, I use Photoshop (Elements) and I know a lot of others do too. If the CS version is bit over budget (I think the going rate is £600+- ), Elements is an excellent alternative.

The next best (some argue 'as good as') alternative is the GIMP - and it's open source!