A new Mozilla logo appears to be on the way, marking the first major update to the company’s word-mark since 2017.
Mozilla’s current logo incorporates the internet protocol “://” and was chosen using feedback from the community.
But German blogger Sören Hentzschel, an avid watcher of all things Mozilla, recently noticed an entirely new Mozilla word-mark in use on Mozilla’s ‘Nothing Personal’ webpage: –
Is it a mistake? A dummy logo or placeholder used on a staging site that ended up being pushed live?
Seems not.
Hentzschel did a bit of digging and uncovered recent code commits which mention this refreshed word-mark and a new symbol (more on that in a minute) for use in navigation and footer areas of other Mozilla websites, landing pages, and so on.
Also of note, this new Mozilla word-mark no longer uses the Zilla Slab typeface that the current “moz://a” logo (but its replacement mercifully swerves the bland Sans Serif trend trap).
Mozilla’s new brand typeface is blocky, angular, and kind of cool. It has a distinctive ‘tech’ personality to it, with the squared-off spur and terminal on the lower case ‘a’ having an almost a monospace-esque quality that yells ‘computers’.
Another interesting thing to note about this new word-mark (based on the assets pulled from the Github merges) is that it’s no longer set against a background.
Design guidelines for the existing ‘moz://a’ word-mark say it must always be used on a rectangular background, almost like a label, but this replacement is transparent and box-free.
Most exciting (to a nerd like me) is that this new logo has a ASCII-esque symbol to accompany it (but as seen in the graphic at top, not necessarily always used alongside it).
Do you see a a flag on a pole? Mozilla is planting its virtues in the ground for all to see?
Or do you see a nod to the original Mozilla mascot (inherited from its Netscape beginnings)?
Chances are it’s both.
Designers be clever like that.
The original Mozilla mascot remains synonymous with the company for many. It was designed by Shepard Fairey, whose talents lay behind other seminal design works (some political) but best known to me as the dude behind the skateboard clothing brand OBEY!
New logo not confirmed yet, though…
Between the inclusion on a live webpage, code commits readying new logo for Mozilla websites, and the fact people can already buy official Mozilla merchandise with the new logo on, it seems that a formal rebrand announcement is fairly imminent…
Redesigned logos, design tweaks, and other ‘superficial’ visual changes don’t garner strong interest from all quarters of the open-source community (which is fine). Some feel money spent on a rebranding could be better invested in ‘nuts and bolts’ improvements.
To a degree, that’s a reasonable rebuff, but it overlooks the inherent value of competent branding.
Brand identity (for any company or project big or small, commercial or non-profit) serves a purpose. It conveys what you’re about, what you stand for, whether you’re professional. That’s vital in attracting, reassuring users, supporters, investors, and so on.
And even in the Linux world, it’s not uncommon to see people critique a distribution’s theme, icon set, or colour scheme along the lines of “if it looked more modern, more people would use it” — and that kinda cuts true of anything.
Should anyone still feel miffed, remember that this new design was done by designers, not engineers. Mozilla is unlikely to have pulled developers away from coding tasks, foisted pencils upon them, and demanded a redesign!
It’s been 7 years since Mozilla last updated its brand identity, and a lot has changed at Mozilla as well as around it in the wider tech landscape. It’s important to be seen to be moving with the times. A dollop of new paint is a fast way to signpost you’re staying current.