New Creative for a New Firefox

Today Mozilla launched a brand new version of Firefox, with a completely revamped look and dozens of feature enhancements. It’s unquestionably the best Firefox yet, which of course meant we in the Creative team had to raise our collective game to ensure our work was worthy of the awesomeness coming from the product.

With that in mind, we (along with many other Mozillians) set out to overhaul our full set of Firefox user touchpoints in a way that would effectively communicate the key benefits of the browser as well as the larger story behind it. Both the ‘what’ and the ‘why’, if you will.

For starters, we couldn’t launch a redesigned browser without a redesigned website, so we collaborated closely with the Web team to completely bulldoze the previous Firefox site and build a new one from scratch. In the process, we drew our inspiration from the Firefox design values with the aim of creating pages that felt both clean, crisp and modern as well as warm, human and inviting.

Pay careful attention to the animations sprinkled throughout the new site. Not only do they present a more engaging view into what the new Firefox is all about, they’re built with CSS keyframe animations to make sure we’re showcasing the best of what open Web technologies can do.

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 10.19.13 AM

Because Mozilla is a non-profit, the ‘why’ is just as important as the ‘what’, so we created another site called the Web We Want to help elevate the conversation beyond (the admittedly awesome) product features and functionality. This site (and the accompanying video) is at the center of a lot of our social media activity, and we hope that by asking people to pause and think about what they want for the future of the Web, it will spur collective action to help make those visions a reality. Definitely check it out and share what you think!

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 10.16.20 AM

Of course, the story of Firefox is really the story of all the dedicated and talented Mozillians who give their heart and soul to make the magic happen. Here’s a look at what some of those amazing people have been up to (you can view other videos in this series here and here):

This is only a glimpse into the full scope of the launch, and since it would be impossible for me to accurately list the complete set of people who made it all possible, please allow me to focus on the members of the Creative team in this post. Huge shoutout to Jennifer Balaco, Rainer Cvillink, Ty Flanagan, Spencer Hui, Sean Martell, Matej Novak, Matt Ternoway and Lee Tom for devoting their time and talent to a world-class release of a world-class product. I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with.

14 responses

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  1. Zoran N wrote on :

    I t is good that there are add-ons which can revert some options and UI from Firefox before v29 🙂

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/classicthemerestorer/

    Reply

  2. Gerry Massie wrote on :

    Well… I have been using Mozilla since it was Mosaic running on my SunOS 4.1.x workstation. Around 1993 or so if my memory serves….

    Release 29 of FireFox gave all the hairs on my arm instant and massive cringes.

    The Creative Team at Mozilla is obviously alive and well, but the Reality Team should revisit their part in this play. Massive change is inevitable over time…. but massive change all in one release leads to confusion and user loyalty backlash.

    GM- Norfolk, VA – USA

    Reply

  3. danny wrote on :

    I really don’t like the new update.
    how can I change it back, because it takes to much of my screen.

    if it looks like chrome than why shouldn’t I try that.

    Reply

  4. Lucijack wrote on :

    I don’t like anyway news tabs on the top of new firefox, it’s not longuer useful !

    Reply

  5. abuzittin wrote on :

    if i want to use a browser like chrome; i ll use chrome. u kill my mozilla for this shit.

    Reply

  6. bosrobo wrote on :

    The menu of new version, I don’t like position…

    why move to left? uncomfortable,……..

    Reply

  7. Peter wrote on :

    V29.0 Really? Best design ever? I was able to customize my look and feel prior to this the way I wanted and have completely minimal real estate used by tabs and menus – no longer… I may as well use Chrome now… And I will… I have been a user for countless years, way back to the start of this project, but just fed up with apps like this that have ‘experts’ (aka idiots) that like to force unnecessary design changes down users throats…

    Bye Mozilla, was good knowing you…

    Reply

  8. Awesome!! (Really?) wrote on :

    First, anyone who uses the phrase “worthy of the awesomeness” can’t really expect to be taken seriously. (Except maybe by readers fifteen or younger).

    Secondly, if you consider the UI in release 29.01 to be “awesome” that only shows that not only is your vocabulary infantile, so is your eyesight. The only reason FF is still installed on my machine is the Classic Theme Restorer addon. Maybe you should read some of the comments in the reviews over there instead of spending your time writing the drivel above.

    And thirdly, if you were really “awesome” maybe you’d have the strength to avoid becoming a poor relation clone of Chrome and also a little more humility and willingness to listen to your users rather than just “bulldoze” something that works so you can play with your toys.

    A browser is a tool, not a toy. Every time you foul up the interface and require people to spend time fixing what you break every update you make that tool less and less effective and less and less attractive. I’ve used FF for a decade, and Netscape before that. You’ve got me right on the edge of deleting it forever. I’ve given up on FF on my phone – a bloated, buggy mess – and am quite happy with Opera and/or Dolphin, I think it’s maybe time to try out a few alternatives on the Desktop as well.

    If you want to do something useful then work on the primitive interfaces you have for bookmarks and printing rather than useless eye candy changes which look worse than what they replace.

    Reply

  9. Awesome!! (Really?) wrote on :

    P.S. I thought the dialogue on HBO’s “Silicon Valley” was an outrageous fiction. It’s quite depressing, although illuminating, to see that it appears to be based on reality.

    Reply

  10. Vazgi wrote on :

    Please bring back the option of being able to put the tabs below the bookmarks

    Reply

  11. Martin Christensen. wrote on :

    You have ruined Firefox. Good job, and i hope you are all proud.

    Reply

  12. Tim Visée wrote on :

    I’m loving this! Firefox is getting better than ever, with it’s new design and everything else.

    Tim Visée

    Reply

  13. Fred wrote on :

    The new design (look) of firefox is a major step backwards. If you really cared about the millions of users you would revert back to the v28 design, which happened to allow a lot of addons to run well. If I wanted a Chrome clone I would actually install Chrome not Firefox. May I also add that your new website is flat dull and very unappealing. If this is the direction Mozilla is taking then be prepared to lose many users!

    Reply

  14. Levinson D’souza wrote on :

    hey ,,, could you consider me cause I wanna volunteer for visual design and help make mozilla a more appealing browser,,,, #mozilla

    Reply

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