Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0

sgarrity writes "I've written some recommendations for the branding and visual identity of the Mozilla Foundation's project and product line. I argue that 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. Read Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0 and let us know what you think."

Best strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

You should come up with operating system that everyone uses and then get like 95% of the desktop market, and then bundle the browser with the OS and call them inseparable.

Seemed to work for the case studies I've investigated.

We can't have 2.0 yet!

[Lord_Slepnir]

based on past history, we need to have mozilla 1.999.99.99999a before we can have 2.0

Branding is Cruel

[MonkeyCookie]

Branding is a cruel practice, and should only be used when necessary.

We need to weigh the pros and the cons. Mozilla will undergo a great deal of pain when we apply the branding iron and will no doubt scream in agony. However, we will be able to separate it from the other browsers when it escapes out onto the open range.

Re:He makes a lot of good points...

[cK-Gunslinger]

Maybe get the Cute guy to work on it a bit...

*blushes*
"Aww shucks..."
.
.
.
Oh, you mean that guy who did the 'Qute' icons? Bah. =P

Extreme marketing.

[DeadBugs]

This seems to work for other companies so:

Put Mozilla stickers all over San Francisco

Dress people up in Mozilla suits and send them screaming through New York City

Mozilla streakers at sporting events.

A Mozilla based reality show.

Have Mozilla claim their source code is in Linux

Pay companies to give them unrealistic bench marks.

Re:We can't have 2.0 yet!

[Anonymous Coward]

why is this funny.

Re:Extreme marketing.

[griffjon]

THAT'S IT!

We all pitch in $10,000USD and get a second commercial in the next superbowl, which features the Moz development team singing an off tune inspirational song!

Re:I have to disagree here...

[roskakori]

By the way [the Nike logo] fits its "Just Do It" slogan perfectly. The mozilla lizard and Linux penguin don't have the same advantages as the Nike logo.

i dis-disagree! the linux penguin is a near-perfect representation of its target group: massive guts, balding head, and the same dazed look like a programmer thinking about a particular difficult problem to solve.

(kick me, that was nasty.)

Re:We can't have 2.0 yet!

[AmishSlayer]

based on past history
as opposed to future history ;)

sorry I couldn't resist.

Re:Mozilla needs it

[glassesmonkey]

Your GF sucks. Leave her for a pop-up free GF, maybe even one with tabs!!

Secret to Branding

[borkus]

1. Take your basic product name - ie, "Mozilla".
2. Get permission from a celebrity to put their name in front of it.
3. Put next year's number on the end.
4. Add the letter's "X", "XP" or some abbreviation
with an "X" in it.

Therefore, Mozilla 2.0 should really be -
Madden Mozilla 2004 SSX

Re:Extreme marketing.

[adrianbaugh]

Here's what we'll do. We fetch Mozilla himself back from wherever he is - probably fighting with Moth-Ra or a giant octopus or something. Then we get him to lay waste to Redmond and bite off Bill Gates' head live on CNN. See if people dare to use IE then! :-)

Re:I have to disagree here...

[Anonymous Coward]

The mozilla lizard is at least as recognizable as the linux penguin.

The what?

Yes, I was confused at first as well so I investigated. It seems that "Linux" is some sort of "operating system" (a set of procedures to be followed while performing surgery, failure to follow the correct operating system could lead to a dead patient or in extreme cases to being sued) and apparently that's what all that penguin graffiti in New York was about.

Bit of an obscure reference for the poster to casually throw in without any explanation.