The first Firefox 4 beta was released two days ago – a big milestone for both Mozilla and the web in general. So, to commemorate the occasion we’ve started a new series of first run page illustrations in the same vein as the Firefox 3 robot saga from a couple of years ago.

Because the beta process is really all about people in our worldwide community working together to build a better product (there are a few different ways you can help by providing feedback while you browse), the illustration is meant to represent that collaborative, innovative spirit. I’ll leave the specifics a mystery for now, but it seems as if it’s taking place in some sort of futuristic biosphere. The initial artwork for beta 1 is only the first in a series, so keep downloading those betas as they’re released to watch the story unfold!

The artwork is inspired by the work of 20th century futurists like Klaus Bürgle…as a kid, I was always fascinated by drawings of futuristic cities like this, so it’s fun to see a Mozilla version taking shape. The illustration itself was done by the very talented Steven Olds, with additional guidance and ideation from Tim Hogan and our friends at the Royal Order. Big thanks to those guys.

Lastly, if you’d like to see a big version of the artwork without the text and other design elements on top, I’ve got one in my Flickr account: check it out.

Here are a few tips:

1. You don’t have to use the dino head. Although the Mozilla dino is undoubtedly awesome, the creative possibilities will really open up if you look beyond the logo and explore the main themes of the challenge. There are plenty of Mozilla-related concepts, of course, but for starters the creative brief calls out openness, innovation and community. That’s certainly fertile ground for interesting ideas…the more abstract, the better.

As a relevant example, when we did the Firefox 3 t-shirt contest a couple of years ago, we got a ton of interesting designs that used the Firefox logo, but the winner was the one that went a step beyond and found a clever way to convey a broader theme (in that case, community).

2. If you must use the dino head, do it in an interesting way. In other words, think about how you can integrate it into a design that conveys the key themes mentioned above rather than just sticking the logo in the middle of the shirt and then designing around it. For example, Rogelio Calamaya, the winner of our Five Years of Firefox challenge, has submitted a design that uses the dino head, but only as one part of a larger scene. Cool stuff.

Also, it’s worth noting that our trademark policy prevents us from accepting a design that modifies the dino in any way (such as changing the color, distorting the various elements, etc). If that seems too limiting, definitely refer to point #1!

3. Avoid text! The Mozilla community is very global and includes speakers of pretty much every language, so creating a shirt with a lot of English (or any other language) isn’t a great way of celebrating that. Plus, t-shirts are a visual medium so think in terms of pictures to look at rather than words to read.

4. Remember that this challenge is about Mozilla, not Firefox (or any other specific product). We’ve already done a couple of Firefox-related challenges, and surely will do more in the future, but this one is all about Mozilla. So, make sure your design focuses on those Mozilla qualities of openness, innovation and community rather than any particular product or product logo.

5. Abstract is better than literal. Just to hammer home the first point a bit more, the name of the game is creativity, so ponder the themes, search around for inspiration and see where your muse takes you. Push yourself a bit…awesomeness awaits!

The design challenge ends on April 30, so put on your thinking caps. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

This post has been localized into Belorussian, thanks to PC

So, when Fligtar (now a seasoned Mozilla product manger) approached me a few weeks ago about a Rock Your Firefox reboot – this time in the form of a blog – I was all too happy to help once again. We called up Lee, gave him the same set of inspirations (as a fun game, see how many elements from these screenshots you can find in the actual site design) and asked for a 2010 twist on the 2007 original. The results are even bubblier and groovier than ever, and if you’re in Austin for SXSW this weekend there are some good opportunities to grab various swag items.

Most importantly, keep an eye on the Rock Your Firefox blog for the latest and greatest highlighted add-ons. And, for old times’ sake, be sure to check out the original video that started it all:

Thanks to Lee Tom, Justin Scott, Julie Choi, Nick Nguyen, Chris Howse and Elise Allen for their help with this project.

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.

Good times.

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!

Kerim Kalamujic has posted the details (and relevant source files) on the Mozilla BiH site, so be sure to check that out if you’re interested. And if you’re not local, I’d suggest doing a little research before you start designing to make sure you capture the right flavor.

The chosen logo will be used in a wide variety of places, so this is a great chance to make a huge impact on the look & feel of one of our most active communities. Submissions are due March 15th…looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

(Download it at ColbertNation.com)