A few months ago I reported that Mozilla is getting a brand revamp and that it incorporates the non-profit company’s iconic red dinosaur mascot – now I have a bit more info.
A reader, Nicolas, recently pointed me to the website of global design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie, who Mozilla hired to update, refine, and revitalise its brand identity.
As design agencies go, Jones Knowles Ritchie has considerable cultural cache having worked with major world-famous brands, ranging from Burger King to Budweiser – and now web browser maker Mozilla.
Their website has a dedicated page to showcase their work on the redesign —Mozilla has to yet to formally announce or roll out the new logo— that’s filled with dynamic animations which (I think) showcase the new look better than the static glimpses we’ve had thus far.
I really like this one:
Many of you reading should be familiar with the “window painting” glitch older OSes often had. The animation above evokes that, making it both a cool bumper (for any brand) and a subtle nod to Mozilla tech lineage having been around 1998.
Mozilla’s goal is singular: reclaim the internet. They came to us looking for an identity that would reclaim tech design, power a global movement of activists, innovators, and builders, all working to keep the internet open and accessible for everyone.
Jones Knowles Ritchie
I also said in my initial post that Mozilla’s new ‘symbol’ does look more like an 8-bit flag than a dinosaur (the flag vibe being intentional: Mozilla waves the flag for a free, open internet, etc).
In fact, I wasn’t even 100% sure the symbol WAS trying to look like the famous red Mozilla dinosaur!
But an animated slide in the JKR deck brings the creature to life and confirms it is indeed a nod and not only a flag. The playful scene helps convey some of the not-afraid-to-make-some-noise-and-stand-my-ground brashness Mozilla is famed (and admired for:
More animated vignettes can be see on the JKR portfolio page covering its work for Mozilla, along with a couple of static graphics that help contextualise how the new Mozilla wordmark, mascot symbol, colour palette, and font tie together in tone and style.
Not a fan?
Rebrands are never popular. We all hate change as much as we hate things staying the same.
Much like the style of clothes we wear and the hobbies we enjoy change as we move through life and become part of out personality, companies also need to keep their identity in step with where they are today, rather than yesterday.
In the 8 years since Mozilla’s last logo change (“Moz://a”) the web landscape has shifted.
This rebrand could help Mozilla re-communicate its values to the World Wide Web. That is important if the non-profit is going to attract and enthuse new contributors, generate cash and investment to keep it going, and so on.
And if you really don’t like it, chances are you won’t see it that often anyway.
Big thanks Nicolas!