Check Out Some of the New Gmail HD Themes and Find Out How They're Made

A bit over a week ago, Gmail debuted a brand new look inspired by the new Google design being applied to all sites. The new Gmail certainly looks flashier, but it's a big technical improvement as well.

Users don't care about the technical side all that much, they just want a nice looking and useful interface.

And, for something that they use so often during the day, they want some customization options, which the new Gmail does provide.

The redesigned Gmail comes with a revamped theme system. The graphics are much better, HD imagery sure helps.

But the way Google designed the new theme system ensures that more themes will be available in time and that they remain practical regardless of the color schemes or background images used.

"One of the most visible improvements in last week’s Gmail update is the entirely new theme system and the new high definition themes that it supports. This refresh to themes both simplifies them and makes them more immersive," Jason Cornwell, User Experience Designer at Google, wrote.

In order to make sure that usability doesn't suffer when using themes, Google chose to limit options a bit, the crucial UI elements are implemented as semitransparent layers which allow the background image to seep through but also don't impair the act of actually reading emails.

"Each theme uses either a dark or light variant of most UI elements to balance legibility and visibility of the background image, allowing the background image to peek through and provide color and personality. Background imagery can also change based on date, time, or weather," Cornwell explained.

In essence, the new Gmail themes only use two variants of the UI and let the background image to all the work. This does limit customizability somewhat, but it also ensures that new themes can be created much more easily.