Esp a webbrowser needs to handle those guidelines carefully, as it is a viewer application instead of (the common) editing application. We had a UI guidance some time ago, mpt did that. Branding doesn’t start with the visual, it really starts with the name -).īe prepared for more divergence in the meantime, The use of the birds all over the text are a reoccuring source for confusion in the reader, at least for me. I take it that those “proposed firebird icons” are not part of your proposal, but you should have made that a tad clearer. GRE is not ready at all, and I am not sure if a single GRE for Mail and Browser is part of the 1.0 todo list. There is no one working on porting chatzilla right now (on purpose, btw.). It will probably be a bit of time ’til the change. That would be a plus, but takes out one of the advantages of having separate applications. Note that I’m not confident that we’re going to ship independent apps with coherent version numbering. Stuff like a reworked XBL for example would be part of 2.0. I personally got the impression that 2.0 was not a UI change deadline, but a API change deadline. The lizard *is* working in computer magazines as well as in forum like slashdot, btw. Please don’t try to loose things that work for some of us in favour of something new. You want a common visual element all over Mozilla FooApp and try to get rid of the lizard? Why replace something that works in a given community in favour of something completely new? The brand that worked on end users is the big blue N. The current application suite icons are my most visible contribution. Solving their press relations would help Mozilla much more than branding redesign.Īs for qualifications about the above statements, I have been a contributor to the Mozilla Project since Summer 2001. The press has consistently stated that they have had difficulty in dealing with the organization in the past two years. More importantly would be to have a proper press kit and to issue news releases. This is not the biggest problem with getting the browser’s name out/more adopters. Despite what graphic designers believe, most people are only peripherally aware of design and consistency. To the people who claim that this will improve Mozilla’s adoption dramatically, you’re wrong. Once the drivers decide to change this they can ask on the mozillazine forums and they’ll get as many proposals as they can handle. The biggest barriers to changing branding strategy is that the drivers have consistently refused to make any changes at all. The red lizard is the icon for the organization, this has been consistent for several years, the M used on the Mac is a holdover.

The application icons will have to be redone when they become Mozilla Browser and Mail, but the projects are collaborating closely so it’s likely that the same person will do both and take care of consistency there.

The application icon is pretty much stable with the flame thingy being used for both as well. The Firebird and Thunderbird button icons are consistent since arvid has become the primary icon artist for both. Since you know about Firebird and Thunderbird I’m surprised that you haven’t noticed the trend. The process is underway and has been from some time. Yes, it’d be nice if Mozilla had a consistent branding, but it’s legacy is a hindrance here. I hate to burst your bubble, but this has been discussed a couple dozen times on mozillazine and discussions have come to the same conclusion that your short piece did. Read the article in full and please feel free to comment in reply to this post. The Mozilla Project should adopt a simple, strong, consistent visual identity for the Mozilla products including consistent icons across applications that mesh with the host operating system. I’m very interested in the success of the project, and so I have written a short article outline some recommendations and ideas for branding Mozilla.įor those too lazy/busy to read the article (or those who understandably might value their time more than my words and ideas), here’s the 10-second version: I’ve been hooked on Mozilla Firebird for a while, and my recent Mozilla Thunderbird theme was my first real contribution (if you could call it that) to the movement. I’ve been using and enjoying the products of the Mozilla project more and more lately. Acts of Volition Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0 Octoby Steven Garrity in Mozilla, Open Source Software, Usability & Design

New mozilla thunderbird theme