intothefuzz

The other day I posted some work-in-progress versions of the potential new Mozilla Developer Network logo. As part of that, I asked for feedback from the community and got a *ton* of great input (142 comments at the last count). Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.

Although determining the mood of the group in these ‘design in the open’ projects is never as simple as counting up people’s votes and picking a winner, you can usually spot some larger trends as you read through the comments. In this case, all the options had their fans (and detractors, of course), but the two that rose above the rest were #3 and #8.

We were also gravitating towards #8, but there was something about it that didn’t feel quite right…the skull was a bit too rounded, and we realized that it really didn’t look all that different from the original Mozilla dino. So, we asked Studio Number One to take the style of #8 but use more of the overall shape and elements from #3 and present some new lockups for us.

They did that, and after a bit of debate about where the dino’s mouth should be open or closed, we finally settled on this for the new Mozilla Developer Network logo:

The next step is to create the MDN website, and we’ve already enlisted the talented folks at Happy Cog West to help with that. This logo will certainly inform the site design, and in fact we’ll be working with Studio Number One to create a few additional variations to represent the various sub-categories within the site itself (web developers, mobile developers, etc). Jay Patel will be following up with those details soon.

I should also mention that in the process of reviewing Studio Number One’s work, there was another option that didn’t quite feel like it should be the official logo but was still pretty awesome. So, we’re holding onto it for other things (I hate to spoil the surprise, but the odds are very high that you’ll be seeing it on t-shirt before long).

Thanks again to everyone who viewed the post and contributed feedback, and to Studio Number One, Jay Patel, Alix Franquet and Chris Blizzard for all their great work.

A couple of weeks ago, I put up a short post asking which fictional character best embodies the Firefox brand. As expected, you came up with some great responses.

Also as expected, there was a definite common thread running through the answers. Whether it was Robin Hood, Neo or MacGyver (awesome), most of the answers portrayed Firefox as a brave and heroic underdog using pluck, skill and ingenuity to battle a powerful foe. Sound familiar?

Although this question was at least semi-frivolous, it’s important to think about what exactly Firefox represents and means to people as we continue to carve out our place in an increasingly crowded browser world. We have a great story to tell, but telling it well requires a lot of careful thought and understanding…expect more posts on this topic!

Lastly, I promised a t-shirt to my favorite comment, but picking just one turned out to be too tough, so I wimped out and used random.org to choose. So, congrats to Sean Hogan and his suggestion of Don Quixote. Thanks to everyone who submitted their ideas.

In the “it’s funny because it’s true” category, this comic about Microsoft’s product naming style cracked me up. And, while I’m on the subject, I should mention that it also reminded me of the “Microsoft Re-designs the iPod Package” video from a few years ago…an all-time classic.

Good times.

We’re in the process of building the Mozilla Developer Network to be a useful resource for developers working on the various Mozilla-based software projects and the open web in general. It’s a big, far-reaching project so, as Jay Patel noted last week, it’s important that we establish a strong brand identity for the MDN.

The first step is to create a logo that will represent the MDN to developers around the world (and also look great on a t-shirt, of course). To do this, we’ve once again turned to the talented folks at Studio Number One, who last worked with us on the logo for the Mozilla Creative Collective. And, as usual, we want this process to be as open and participatory as possible…in other words, we need your help!

The intended audience for this logo and the MDN in general is most definitely developers. As Jay’s creative brief notes, “the MDN brand will serve to unify our diverse developer communities and represent the innovation we bring to the world through the people, products, and technologies that define Mozilla.” Beyond that, the direction was pretty wide open – the key thing being that the MDN logo would feel both connected to Mozilla’s identity and history, but also be distinctly separate as its own unique entity.

Posted below are some early stage design options from Studio Number One (including different variations on similar themes). At this point in the process we need to start focusing on one for further refinement. Which one should that be? What stands out to you and why? Try to envision these on a website, t-shirt, poster, sticker, etc and let us know what you think by Friday, February 19. Any and all feedback is encouraged.

Thanks!

The title of this post pretty much says it all, but I’ll repeat it again: if Firefox was a fictional character (from any medium – movie, book, TV show, song, comic, epic poem, etc), who would it be?

Although this might sound insanely frivolous, I’m actually really interested to hear what you come up with. Call it an informal brand perception survey.

So, think about it and post the first thing that comes to mind in the comments section. As added incentive, I’ll send a fabulous Firefox t-shirt (or equivalent merch item) to the person who submits my favorite answer.

Thanks!

The whole NBC/Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien fiasco is pretty interesting stuff to any follower of pop culture, but it also makes for a good branding case study (particularly on the “what not to do” side of the equation).

Through a series of boneheaded executive decisions, NBC has managed to position itself as a bumbling, inept company that is in the process of tarnishing a 60-year old television institution and doesn’t know what to do with its own talent. Leno has gone from a bland, everyman sort of comic to being seen as a Machiavellian schemer and backstabber who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And although, on the face of it, O’Brien is the one getting the worst end of the deal, his brand is soaring…by keeping it real and staying funny he’s more popular than ever.

So, here are a few takeaways to keep in mind as we begin what will surely be another very big year for Firefox:
- speak honestly and directly to your audience (like Conan did with his open letter)
- recognize the power of a grassroots following
- use your communication channels as effectively as possible.
- branding matters…be aware of how you’re perceived.

What other lessons can we learn from the ongoing soap opera of late night TV?

Authenticity is one of the most coveted qualities in the world of branding. The idea itself isn’t super complex – basically you have to make sure that the way you present the product is consistent with the actual qualities the product itself – but because it’s something that has to be earned rather than bought it can be a very elusive thing for a lot of companies.

When people complain about marketing, they’re often reacting to that lack of authenticity. As a case in point, take Taco Bell’s current campaign touting the “Drive Thru Diet“: sure, Taco Bell can be an occasionally delicious late night snack, but most reasonable people don’t associate their food with anything remotely healthy. But, despite that reality, they have ads touting the benefits of their new low-fat line…they even made their logo green, so you know it has to be good for you. Right?

In the case of Firefox, I feel really fortunate to get to work on a brand that, because of Mozilla’s community, history and mission, oozes with realness. The tricky thing is that it’s a lot harder to build up a sense of authenticity than it is to lose it, so we in the marketing department are always very careful to make sure our projects maintain the appropriate degree of Mozilla-ness.

There’s no magic formula – it’s more of a “know it when you see it” kind of thing – but the general idea is be consistent with the organization’s values, engage the community and perhaps most importantly, only say stuff that’s true (it helps to have a great product, of course). So, until someone lands a patch for Firefox that guarantees users weight loss and whiter teeth, we’ll keep the outrageous claims to a minimum.

For the past several weeks, Alex Faaborg has been managing the difficult process of updating one of the most widely recognized and beloved logos in the tech industry. Thanks to hard work from Alex and lead designer Anthony Piriano (of the Iconfactory), plus lots of input, ideas and assistance from the Mozilla community, the old school Mozilla visual identity team and plenty of current Mozilla employees, the logo is now complete.

One interesting side note is that I’m referring to it as a logo, while Alex is calling it an icon in his series of blog posts (that you really should read) on the same subject. That’s because we’re in the somewhat unconventional position of having our primary visual identity also double as a desktop software icon. That’s definitely not how it’s usually done, and it occasionally creates some fun challenges, but it’s a very nice tradeoff when you consider the worldwide impact the combined double whammy of the icon and logo have made.

On the implementation side, we’re working to get the new logo in all the key places (such as mozilla.com or AMO) in time for the 3.5 launch. Because the logo was completed so late in the cycle we may not have it ready in all the less crucial spots in time for launch, but we’ll be making the additional updates as soon as possible. If you see any ‘old’ logos lurking around after 3.5 comes out please let me know.

If you need the logo for any upcoming projects, or just would like to take a closer look at all the different permutations, Alex has posted the files on the Firefox 3.5 wiki.

As you almost certainly already know, the next major Firefox release has been renamed from Firefox 3.1 to Firefox 3.5, and I’m happy to report that we now have shiny new logos to make the change *extra* official. (Incidentally, the 3.1 logo will now become one of the web’s hottest collectibles…sort of like that upside-down stamp or a Honus Wagner baseball card.)

The three variations of the Firefox 3.5 logo are currently available on the 3.5 wiki, so feel free to start using these for any relevant projects. But, please keep in mind that the usage rules and trademark policies outlined in our logo style guide still apply (we’ll update that microsite with the official release).

Download: Firefox 3.5 logos

Fresh out of the oven, the official Firefox 3.1 logos are now available for your use and enjoyment. I should note that, although they’re currently hosted on the 3.1 wiki, they’re still subject to the various rules and conditions outlined in the Firefox logo guide (we’ll update that page with these files once 3.1 launches).

My hope is that we can start using these on all 3.1-related communications to avoid any alternate versions getting spread too widely around. If you have any questions or comments, just let me know.