Web Worker Daily

Dressing up your iGoogle just got easier with Google’s launch of a theme directory where you people can submit, rate and select new theme’s for their personalized search portal.

For the first time anyone can create and submit a theme for iGoogle – so long as it “compelling, polished, tested design that conforms to the guidelines given in the program policy.” (Don’t mess with the Google logo).

To change your theme, click the Select Theme link and pick a theme from the new directory. Along with all the standard themes there are already a few new (at least to me) themes, such as this world map that changes during the course of the day.

If you’re daydreaming about millions of Googlers seeing your branded theme with your logo standing proudly next to the big G – not so fast. Logos, brand names and the like can be appear on a theme only in one place – a 50 by 100 pixel area in the top right corner of the footer. However, if you doing this for art sake, you can include your signature (no large than a 200 pixel square) – just not within 50 pixels of Google’s logo, search box or links. And as you’d expect, themes need to be G rated.

Google also provides a simple means to test your theme before submitting it to the theme directory.