The other day I was looking at comments people had left in the Personalization Gallery , and I noticed that someone asked, “How can I change my cartoon Space Needle lock screen picture to something different?” After getting over my surprise that not everyone loves the Space Needle as much as those of...

Happy New Year! Whether you celebrated it on January 1 st (with fireworks !) or plan to do so on January 14 th or January 23 rd or another date, I wish you a wonderful 2012. It’s interesting that most of the world marks the turn of the year around this time. January 23 rd brings the start of the Year...

In my previous Themes Thursday blog post I introduced the photography of Josh Sommers with the HDR and double-exposure images in the Beach Sunsets theme . This week I have the pleasure of bringing you another theme featuring Josh’s work: this new Illusions theme provides a more complete introduction...

As I mentioned in a previous blog post , over the past year my teammate Zin, in Taiwan, has been spearheading theme projects featuring the works of many local artists. This week we have two new themes from Zin, created by the artist Cheng Ling; “ Taiwan Culture Sketches ” and “ Behind the Masks .” Ms...

When you first got Windows 7 and started exploring its personalization options, you might have noticed that there was already a theme for your country when you went to the Personalization control panel. I’m in the United States, so you can see that’s the theme I have here in my Personalization control...

Ah, February. The favorite month of florists the world over… at least anywhere Valentine’s Day is customarily celebrated with gifts of flowers. And of all flowers throughout history, the rose is the most enduring symbol of love. Sadly, although the symbol endures, a real fresh-cut rose doesn’t stay lovely...

Here comes Fat Tuesday! It’s time to set a party mood with the new Masquerade theme , which features elegant and mysterious masks for celebrating Mardi Gras and Carnival. In other current events, the wacky new Xbox Live game for Windows Phone, Chickens Can’t Fly , was just released. This new Windows...

In December we launched several new Windows 7 themes for the holidays .  If you’re looking for something seasonal, falling snowflakes and seraphic maidens float through the dreamlike Snow Angels theme . The new Winter theme features visions of sun on sparkling snow, icy pink sunrises, white mountain...

We’re kicking the year off with several new Windows 7 themes. In case you missed it, we celebrated New Years with the Fireworks theme , which features gorgeous firework displays from around the world. Next up is Arctic theme , which brings stunning photography of the frozen North and its wildlife to...

According to legend, anyone lucky enough to find the end of the rainbow might discover a leprechaun’s hoard of hidden gold. Although we can’t guarantee a pot of gold, you can bring the fleeting magic of rainbows to your Windows desktop; the ephemeral colors in our new theme arc over landscapes from Iceland...

Are you working on your Halloween costumes yet? I’m just putting the finishing touches on mine. And to help you get into the Halloween spirit, I have two new Windows 7 themes for you this week. The first one – Trick or Treat! – is a bright and cheerful collection of seasonal sweets and glowing jack-o...

This week’s new themes are brought to you by the concepts of cold and round , and the numeral 4. In the cold category, we have Ice Water and Party Ice , which both star the protean element of water in one of its most beautiful forms. Colored lights shining and reflecting through the irregular facets...

In previous blog posts I’ve mentioned some of my teammates around the world , and this week I wanted to say a bit more about a few of them. Do they spend all their time working on themes? Well, actually, no – their responsibilities are much broader than that. For example, I’ve mentioned Magnus in Stockholm...

It’s been a busy month on the Windows 7 themes gallery : we’ve published a diversity of new themes in which we venture into the past and explore the future, and celebrate the beauty of birds, the magnificence of historic architecture, and several hot new movie releases. First up: Classic Manga Action...

Yes, spring is finally coming to the northern hemisphere… although those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States like I do may have your doubts about this! I know I was starting to feel that spring might never arrive, but we finally had a few days in a row without rain, and were...

Last week Angry Birds hit the Windows Phone Marketplace , and to celebrate this momentous event we’ve got an Angry Birds Windows 7 theme too, just so your desktop won’t feel left out of the fun. The best thing about it is the hilarious bird-cackling, pig-grunting custom sound-scheme. In case you prefer...

A Facebook reader writes: “I love the Celtic sounds!  So if I download the Ireland theme can I use the Irish sounds with any other theme I want?  I am having trouble finding the sounds on my list when I use another theme.” Great question! Yes, you can do this, and I’ll tell you how. First,...

If you haven’t yet checked out the 14 sound-schemes included in Windows 7, you should. Working with the small team that produced the Windows 7 sound-schemes was one of the coolest and most fascinating projects I’ve ever been a part of. I think what the audio producer and musicians created is small but...

I can’t give you real boughs of holly, but hopefully the two new themes we published this week will help you make your PC look a little jollier. The first theme, Decking the Halls , unwraps a gorgeous treasure-trove of shining glass ornaments, ribbons, and sparkling tinsel. To complete the experience...

Most of the Windows 7 themes on the Personalization Gallery feature photography, but we also have quite a few themes that feature painting, illustration, cartoons, calligraphy, and even sculpture . Some of these themes were coordinated by my teammate Zin, in Taiwan, who reached out to several local artists...

Love between mother and child is one of the deepest and most universal bonds there is. In celebration of Mother’s Day, the new Furry Families theme depicts motherly love of many species, including lions, otters, polar bears, horses, foxes, and prairie dogs. Maybe you can grab Mom’s laptop when she’s...

In my previous post I gave you several tips for creating great Windows 7 themes . The points I detailed in that post will take you 90% of the way to designing a polished, professional-looking theme. However, there are a few more aspects I also like to keep in mind as finishing touches when I am working...

What is your favorite season? Of course everyone loves summer and spring, but fall has a special place in my heart, too, despite the famously continuous rainy weather this time of year brings to the Seattle area, where I live. Maybe it’s because November is a month of both nostalgia and anticipation;...

Before I get to my main topic, I have two appetizers for you. The first one features delicious close-ups of one of my favorite food-groups: Chocolate ! Even more beautiful (and much healthier) is the array of gorgeous natural delicacies in Fresh Fruit . Now that you have something to nibble on, we can...

Several months ago my teammate Christian, in Munich, emailed me some digital paintings by the cryptically-named digital art and design company GTGraphics . “Wouldn’t these make a fantastic theme?” he suggested. “Absolutely!” I replied. And I am very pleased to announce that on May 18 th we published...