learning Web design in a short time

I want to learn the Web sites designing , i worked with Java and J2ee for more than 6 years now and i have fair experience in Groovy and Grails . Are there any languages could make my life easier in web design for example PHP or Ruby because people are saying they are easier or i have to stick to the Java technologies . I want to learn the web designing in a very short time .

Are there any advises and recommendations ?

Thanks