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April 30, 2008

iGoogle Artist Themes

"Now you can put the work of world-class artists and innovators on your personalized Google homepage." Google added a gallery of iGoogle themes dedicated to fashion designers (Oscar de la Renta), musicians (Coldplay, Beastie Boys), actors (Jackie Chan), sportsmen (Lance Armstrong), photographers (Yann Arthus-Bertrand), choreographers (Mark Morris), cartoonists (Robert Mankoff), illustrators (Camilla Engman), architects (Cameron Sinclair) and more.

It's a great way to discover interesting people or to decorate iGoogle with the work of people you love. And I'm sure many companies will start to create themes to maintain the brand loyalty.

"As you may know, iGoogle has always provided you with great tools to access and arrange the content you want on your homepage. Just like a person's book or music collection is an extension of their personality, a user's iGoogle page is also a reflection of their loves and interests, both in terms of content, and now, visually," says Julian Sonego on Google Australia Blog.




In an unexpected move, Google promotes the gallery on the homepage using a graphic designed by Jeff Koons and an invitation to check the new feature: "What happens when great art mixes with your homepage?".

{ Thanks, Jeng, Jaime and Andrew. }

Update: If you can't decide which theme looks best on your iGoogle page, try the sampler theme. "With this theme, you'll get to try out a new featured theme every day and decide whether you want to keep it."

12 comments:

  1. Lickable, isn't it? This is one of many ways Google is going to be bringing people onto their soon-to-be social network on the iGoogle home page.

    Here's a feature request: With so many cool themes, can I have it pick a new one from the pool every day automatically?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This brave new internet world amazes me. A leading search engine posts art at midnight, and millions of people all around the world at the same time get to see it.

    I'm intrigued with the possbilities of the world coming a little bit closer together on Pangea Day
    ( pangeaday.org ) on May 10th.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How about more dynamic themes!? These art themes are all static.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Charlie:
    Check the last paragraph from the post.

    @Jamie:
    Actually the themes aren't static, they change every 2 hours (you can check this XML file for Dolce & Gabbana: http://cubancouncilsf.googlepages.com/artist_dolcegabbana.xml ).

    ReplyDelete
  5. The "get artist themes" link appeared on my iGoogle pages a month or two ago, which led to a non-existent page. I was wondering what that was...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tip: download the latest ColdPlay single "Violet Hill" for free from http://www.coldplay.com/song.html.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a bit upset at this because it was my idea and I explicit
    demand for Google using it and they stiffed me.

    Here is my idea as I proposed it 6 months ago on the New York
    Times Blog about google and yahoo social networking. It was the first
    comment.
    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/inbox-20-yahoo-and-google-to-turn-e-mail-into-a-social-network/


    "For your grand launch of the IGoogle social network have
    Takashi Murakami design themes exclusively for IGoogle. He is
    expensive but Google can afford him and trust me people will
    sign up in drove just to have his themes as their background on
    IGoogle. Of course there are many other famous underground
    and main stream artists that would get a great response as well.

    If Google decides to use my ideas, I want a tour of Googleplex
    and I want to meet Sergey and give him a haircut. These are my
    terms and I’m not budging.
    ——
    coolrepublica"

    I'm sure someone at Google got a bonus for proposing this idea
    to their boss. I hope they choke on it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think that artist themes could be better if they make some extra exposition or marketing with a concurse for the companies, algo can generate some extra money.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The artist themes are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. could i be able to upload my own design, become igoogle theme designer?

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  11. Why wont my theme change!, i have the lance armstrong artist one and it is stuck on one theme and wont change to the other two!! :@

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a bit upset at this because it was my idea and I explicit
    demand for Google using it and they stiffed me.

    I'm intrigued with the possbilities of the world coming a little bit closer together on Pangea Day

    ReplyDelete

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