This was a quick design for a fictitious company, and has actually been used by a real company, with great success. It was meant to demonstrate horizontal list items, like for navigation, as well as multiple columns within a page.
I’m not really sure if this is how your “supposed” to do multiple columns, but this is how I did it. There is a lot going on here. Starts out with a single column, containing the header and navigation. Then it switches over to four columns for the photos and sub-navigation.
Next is the three column section, containing the “I love my company” section. Finally, the fluid footer is at the bottom, which spans the screen, breaking the boundaries of the previous 960px width.
It’s a rather dark design, with just a few graphics, but still a bit heavier than what I normally strive for.