Johnson Banks reveals four options for Mozilla rebrand in an “open design process”

Branding agency Johnson Banks has revealed four creative routes for the rebrand of Mozilla, the non-profit, free-software community founded in 1998. After unveiling seven possibilities in August, the studio has revealed three developed iterations of the identity and a new option that has emerged during the design and feedback process. The four creative directions are: Protocol 2.0, The Flame, Burst and Dino 2.0.

Each iteration of the identity explores a different narrative developed with Mozilla. Protocol 2.0 is a typographic mark that puts “the internet http:// protocol directly into the word – Moz://a – it creates a typeable word mark, and by doing so alludes to Mozilla’s role at the core of the Internet.” The Flame “could be a powerful symbol of Mozilla’s determination to remain the beacon for an open, accessible and equal internet for all, and something that a community gathers around for warmth.” Burst was inspired by “data-led ideas and classic internet imagery,” and Dino 2.0 can “act as a figurehead for Mozilla’s maker spirit and community across the globe.”

The studio has developed the project ‘in the open’, inviting feedback at every stage from Mozilla and the public – with updates being regularly released online. “It’s fair to say that, whilst there’s been overall support in general, and interest in the process, some of the critique has been pretty robust,” says Johnson Banks. “But, we expected that. So we went away, regrouped, licked our wounds, decided what was useful feedback, what wasn’t, and moved forward.”

The project can be followed and commented on at Mozilla’s open design blog.