Mozilla, The company that develops the Firefox browser or the Pocket web page manager, has been working for a year on a brand repositioning that is structured around the mission “recover the internet”. To reinforce this, it has updated its visual identity and with this it pursues a double objective: on the one hand, to distinguish the entire browser organization; and on the other hand, highlight its activist spirit and its mission to create a safer, more innovative and collaborative internet.
“The new identity consolidates Mozilla’s role as a beacon of digital rights and innovation”
The new design has been carried out by the JKR branding agency and has sought to put the differentiation in the center, without giving up some of the company’s characteristic elements. “The new brand identity cements Mozilla’s role as a beacon of digital rights and innovation, putting people before profits through privacy-preserving products, open source resources for developers, and building efforts. communities, empowering everyone to choose their own digital destiny“, they explain from the agency.
Thus, the new image uses the visual codes of the early internet and is made up of elements inspired by simple graphics, bits and a color palette composed of white, black and green, as the first interfaces of the network. One of the main transformations is the change in the logo, which goes from expressing the name as “Moz://a” to representing it with all the letters, Mozilla. This achieves greater readability, understanding and identification.
Furthermore, following Mozilla’s mission to “recover the internet”, in the sense of putting users at the center of its development, a isotype that pays tribute to the emblematic dinosaur ‘tyrannosaurus rex’ created by designer Shepard Fairey in the first stage of the company in 1998. Thus, based on bits and with a basic computer language, a version of the mascot has been created that, in addition, also becomes a flag, in the shape of a M, which represents the activist spirit of the new stage of the company.
As stated The Vergethe new identity is based on the ‘Grassroots to Government’ concept, that is, “From the grassroots to the government”, which aims to make the brand resonate with a broad audience. “Speak to grassroots programmers developing tools to empower users, government officials advocating for better Internet safety laws, and everyday consumers seeking to regain control of their digital lives”, commented Amy Bebbington, Chief Brand Officer at Mozilla,
The new identity is completed with a new typography, designed by Estudio Drama. The new family of letters is more enriched and presents curved shapes, although it has square serifs that are attached to the letters like blocks that are reminiscent of the primitive aesthetics of the Internet. From the JKR agency they point out that in the design of this typeface they have also sought to instil the internet spirit and differentiate itself from other technology companies.
The new brand image also seeks to mark a new stage for the company, As you focus on the artificial intelligence and the development of new products. The goal is to stand out and also approach users who are not familiar with the company.
“Since we published the code for our browser more than 25 years ago, Mozilla’s mission has been the same: to create and support technology for the benefit of the public and, in the process, generate more innovation, more competition and more options online”, commented Mark Surman, President of Mozilla, according to Creative Review. “Although we’ve been at the forefront of privacy and open source, people weren’t getting a full view of what we do. We were missing opportunities to connect with new and existing users”.
The intention is to progressively apply the new design to the different touch points and, in this way, put Mozilla back in the top of mind of users.