Mozilla rebrand takes from early internet aesthetics, to move its cause to reclaim the web

Open-source, not-for-profit software company Mozilla has revamped its digital identity to better encapsulate its mission to advocate for an “open, accessible, and supportive internet”. Best known for its Firefox web browser, the company now has a new branding system that aims to visually unify its expanded set of services, channels and resources, which Mozilla has developed over the years, as well as highlight its current “vital research advocacy work in the digital world”. So, central to the brand’s shift has been to move forward with Mozilla as a brand name in order to ensure that the software company “is recognised for its broader impact, not just Firefox”.

Developed in collaboration with global branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), the new design system seems to put community front and centre, uniting the global crowd of “activists, technologists and builders” together for the first time — connecting software users from “grassroots initiatives and everyday people to government advocacy groups”. With such a range of users, the brand’s new face needed to tell a “cohesive story” in support of Mozilla’s mission, says Amy Bebbington, global head of brand at Mozilla. “We intentionally designed a system, aptly named ‘Grassroots to Government’, that ensures the brand resonates with our breadth of audiences, from builders to advocates, changemakers to activists. It speaks to grassroots coders developing tools to empower users, government officials advocating for better internet safety laws, and everyday consumers looking to reclaim control of their digital lives.”

A company that started in the early internet age – a time of ASCII and pixel art, amongst other aesthetics – the not-for-profit seems to have rooted its new visual direction in a bit of nostalgia. For its first revisit to the brand’s wordmark since 2017, Mozilla has developed a set of custom typefaces (Mozilla Semi-Slab, Mozilla Sans, and Mozilla Sans Text) in collaboration with Studio Drama with custom letterforms that take from pixel patterns and animate with flashing text cursors — something that takes us back to old computer displays. Like a game of snake, the brand’s new colour palette makes use of a classic RGB green, with its pixel grids displayed on simple black-and-white backdrops.

Mozilla’s new logo is a flag symbol built from the Mozilla M that comes to life to reveal the company's iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex symbol and mascot, originally designed by Shepard Fairey. Now in a fun pixel pattern form, this nod to the brand history aims to “highlight Mozilla’s activist spirit [...] acting as a symbol of belief, peace, unity and pride” as well as the brand’s commitment to mark its aim to “reclaim the internet”.

According to Mozilla, this new brand structure was a way to cement its role as a “beacon of digital rights and innovation”, with the new appearance better matching up to the empowering messages behind its privacy-preserving products, open-source developer resources, and community-building efforts.”

Mark Surman, president of Mozilla said in a statement: “Since open-sourcing our browser code over 25 years ago, Mozilla’s mission has been the same – build and support technology in the public interest, and spark more innovation, more competition and more choice online along the way. Even though we’ve been at the forefront of privacy and open source, people weren't getting the full picture of what we do. We were missing opportunities to connect with both new and existing users. This rebrand isn’t just a facelift — we’re laying the foundation for the next 25 years.”