intothefuzz

As noted in an earlier post, we’ve coined the term “100% organic software” to help explain Mozilla to people who don’t know what open source is or might not understand why a small public benefit organization is competing with some of the world’s richest and most powerful companies.

This term is very much aimed at a broader audience that probably doesn’t understand the history and nuances of the Mozilla Project, so we like the idea of using a simple, non-technical concept to convey something that’s actually quite complex. If the browsers made by our corporate competitors are like food from factory farms, it’s easy to imagine Firefox as the organic equivalent…tastier, more nutritious, and ultimately better for the world at large.

Of course, the bottom line is that people usually choose Firefox because it’s a better browser rather than because of our unconventional structure, so we’re not planning on making ‘100% organic’ our primary promotional focus. But, from a branding perspective I think it’s important for people to understand what Mozilla is all about, and how that plays a key role in making Firefox the way it is. The browser market will only get more intense, so it’s important for us to establish a clear identity…cool new features are easily copied, but I don’t see our competitors becoming open source, non-profit organizations any time soon.

To help flesh our this concept, we’ve created a new landing page on Mozilla.com. It’s currently linked to from some new banner ads, and will also be referenced on the soon-to-be live updated homepage when it’s ready. Here’s a quick screen shot, but if you’re interested it’s definitely worth checking out the full page too:

In honor of the recent explosion of Ken Kovash posts, I present some Ken Kovash facts (with thanks/apologies to chucknorrisfacts.com)

* Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Ken Kovash.
* Ken Kovash can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.
* Ken Kovash can divide by zero.
* When taking the SAT, write “Ken Kovash” for every answer. You will score over 8000.
* Ken Kovash has the greatest poker face of all time. He won the 1983 World Series of Poker, despite holding only a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game UNO.
* On his birthday, Ken Kovash randomly selects one lucky child to be thrown into the sun.
* Ken Kovash ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.
* The only thing we have to fear is fear itself… The only thing fear has to fear is Ken Kovash.
* When Ken Kovash exercises, the machine gets stronger.
* Ken Kovash refers to himself in fourth person.
* Ken Kovash was sending an email one day, when he realized that it would be faster to run.
* Jesus owns and wears a bracelet that reads, “WWKKD?”
* The phrase “Made by Ken Kovash” is imprinted beneath the surface of China.
* People say the truth hurts, but it hurts a hell of a lot more when it comes from Ken Kovash.
* Ken Kovash CAN believe it’s not butter.
* It takes Ken Kovash 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.
* Firefox crop circles are Ken Kovash’s way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.
* Ken Kovash counted to infinity – twice.
* Ken Kovash sleeps with a night light. Not because Ken Kovash is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Ken Kovash.
* Ken Kovash doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
* Ken Kovash is allowed to talk about Fight Club.
* If at first you don’t succeed, you are obviously not Ken Kovash.

Goal: Create a first run page for the latest Firefox 3 beta that would be eye-catching enough to make people stop and explore ways they can provide feedback.

Solution: A giant robot, of course.

Your Challenge: Answer the unanswered questions…who is behind this rampaging robot? Are the UFO’s in the background working with or against it? What’s the significance of it all? Post your theories in the comments section – the best one gets a Firefox t-shirt.

Thanks to Nobox for getting in touch with their inner sci-fi geeks and creating the very cool art for this page.

**Update**
The informal contest is now over (details here)…thanks to everyone who submitted their theories. I’ve been really blown away by all your ideas!

We’ve been working on a Mozilla.com redesign to coincide with the Firefox 3 launch for a few weeks (check out my earlier post for a refresher on project goals and other details), and now have four early-stage design directions to consider. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, definitely take a look at the options and let us know what you think. It wouldn’t really be a Mozilla project without community input, and and your feedback (along with thoughts from Mozilla Japan, Mozilla Europe, etc) will be extremely helpful towards us deciding which direction to pursue.

The key thing to remember as you review is that this is the first step in a long process rather than a vote between four final choices. In other words, these are design directions rather than final designs, so it’s best to consider the overall look & feel rather than focusing on specifics like photography, text, etc. That stuff is mostly placeholder and almost certainly will change before all is said and done.

With that caveat in mind, check out the options and leave a comment below with your thoughts. Thanks!