In light of Proteus's points: I like the default ships, but in a vast universe liable to contain many spacefaring factions (even among humanity alone), the single design scheme available at present seems a bit insufficient; thus I'd appreciate having more "styles" available in the editor in the near future (as I'm sure is the plan eventually anyway). For inspiration I'd suggest:
- Compare and contrast the basic motifs of the major races in EVE Online (albeit with more realistic hull shapes): grungy and utilitarian for the Minmatar, curvy and bulky for the Gallente, blocky and industrial for the Caldari, polished and decorated for the Amarr, etc.
- The style found in Children of a Dead Earth: tapered cylindrical ships with large radiators and wide engine gimballing ranges for steering
- V-Ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I'm one of an apparent minority who considers that movie my favorite, and it's almost entirely because of that epic ship design.