The beauty of OSX is the fact that the system is so open and configurable by anyone. Yet remains totaly stable and usable.
As a result, customization is an endless possibility.
For you Smilie Mac fans (like me) here is a link (posted elsewhere by muffin man) to help you restore the old look. Or perhapse give it your own personal touch.
http://www.ryandesign.com/jagboot/Don't be afraid of Hex, it ain't that bad
Also, make sure you backup the BootX file just in case.