Chromatic Variations

Taking the Safari experience to a whole new level and ignoring the hunting ban altogether, Google’s Chrome browser goes straight for Firefox’s jugular with a host of features and add-ons designed to appeal to web-savvy users.

Launched in September 2008, with a Mac-compatible version released last December, personalisation has always been at the heart of the Chrome experience, as Eitan Bencuya from Google’s corporate communications team explains.

“From the outset we wanted Chrome to be a reflection of users’ personalities and interests, both in terms of enabling them to better browse the web and in terms of what they experience every day when using their computers.”

As part of the ongoing effort to refresh Chrome, Google has launched the Artist Themes Project, where a selection of internationally renowned artists, musicians and designers are given free reign to add their stylistic flourishes to the browser. So far the move has attracted the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Kid Robot, Jeff Koons and Mulberry.

“The Artist Themes Project is about providing artists with a new type of canvas on which they can create their art – the browser,” Bencuya elaborates.

“Ultimately, our goal is to bring an incredible spectrum of visual themes for users to choose from to create pages that are meaningful to them and reflect their personal style.”

Participants were given an open brief to encourage their creativity to run wild, and so far the results have ranged from the sublime (Oscar de la Renta’s fusion floral-camo backdrop) to the charmingly ridiculous (psy-trance outfit Infected Mushroom’s gnome collage). With around 40 million downloads to date, Chrome certainly looks set to turn Firefox into an antiquated, if rather fetching stole. And with the iPhone-baiting Nexus One finally let loose on the market (boasting the latest build of Google’s open-source Android software) the digital giant looks set to continue its reign of dominance.

Anyone want to bet on how long it’ll take before Chrome becomes a verb?

google.co.uk/chrome
google.co.uk/chrome/Artists