I’ve been dying for a decent looking Gmail ever since I signed up. For the past year, I’ve made do with the “Shiny” theme, but it just doesn’t make the cut anymore. Lately, Helveti-anything has been a big hit (see Helvetwitter, Helvetical, and the original Helvetireader). Perhaps that’s telling Google something—people care about design. As much as Google is tied to rainbow colors, I think they’re due for a “Pro” series of web apps that consider design a bit more.

via swissmiss »

I realize that there’s no shortage of creative USB key drives out there, but I really wish I could own this USB pipe. Unfortunately, it’s an editorial photograph by Kevin Van Aelst for The New York Times and not a gadget from Gizmodo. I’m sure there’s an obscure eBay tech store selling it for $1.99.

via Szymon Błaszczyk »

I definitely don’t need another clock, nor do I need anything, besides my thermostat, telling me what the temperature in my apartment is … but WoodStation makes me rethink those claims. This beauty is a clock, an indoor weather station, and a block of wood. It even has an unnecessary proximity sensor that turns off the LED lights when too close. And at $99, it’s a bit of a stretch, but it will certainly add some variety to your aluminum-filled room.

via Uncrate »

Over on Wired.com, there’s an interesting post on the elephant in the room—Craigslist’s sad, sad website design. We all think about it when looking for apartments or spending a night on casual encounters, but nothing is done. Apparently, Craigslist stated they have no interest in improving the design of the site, so Wired gathered a few designers together to give it a shot. Honestly, you could simply change the blue/purple link text to anything and it would make a world of difference—that goes for you too, YouTube (say that three times fast).

via Bobby Solomon »

Art & Copy is a new documentary that just debuted this past weekend in select cities. I’m definitely looking forward to it making the rounds in Baltimore. It takes a deep look into the ad world in a no-holds-barred sort of way. Check out the trailer above—these guys are ruthless!

I need this. I need this. I need this. This is The Paperclip Lamp by Teague. It’s simply beautiful—the only downside being I’d feel wrong putting anything on my desk with it.

via Design Milk »

I’m really loving these tea kettles by Vessel. They recently won the Tea Off! Tea Kettle Design Competition. Adding Space Invaders to anything makes it an instant winner in my book.

via Gizmodo »

This chair is simply amazing. It’s titled Lathe Chair IV, part of a series by Sebastian Brajkovic. Though his site is a bit of a mess, it has a solid amount of work, including process photos for each project.

via Heather Rasley »

I love little accessories like this. It’s called Backpack, by Twelve South, and provides iMac and Cinema Display owners with a gravity-based shelf for keeping hard drives out of harm’s way. I think it’s a brilliant idea, especially the amount of ventilation it provides. The unfortunate part is the $30 price tag, which seems to be the minimum for Mac accessories. For me, I can make do with what I got.

via Jon MacDonald »

I love my current Kenneth Cole watch, a Christmas present from Jen, but I really love this Mr Jones watch entitled, The Average Day. It reveals a very unique way to tell time, which typically is in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds. Now, what would be even better is the ability to customize this watch, so you can show your own average day.

via Jen