Mozilla Firefox logo evolution

Congratulations to Mozilla as Firefox celebrates 1 billion downloads! I wonder how many of these fans noticed a subtle change in the logo though! Yes Mozilla made modifications to the existing logo of Firefox for the latest version 3.5. As fans all over the world debate and discuss the need for change and the changes itself, I have tried to understand the same in a larger perspective of logo evolution .

Brand Logo Evolution
Overtime companies have, let’s say, revisited their corporate logos & brand logos, trying to ensure that the logo is contemporary, conveys the required imagery to the target audience & reflects the brand identity ,the owners have in mind. Why so much for a mere symbol? A logo is a symbolic representation of the brand core, it is a powerful tool to communicate with the target audience and most important of all , it affects the consumer subliminally. Unless you are a hard core loyalist or a trivia quiz enthusiast, many people do not direct attention to the logo and decide their usage of the brand depending upon the logo. The colours and the symbols depicted in the logo ,affect you over time, (using my fav word again) subliminally and help build a strong brand connection.
See the pictures below and no prizes for guessing the logos :)
Despite them not being complete, it is instant recognition of the brands Nike and Coke. That is the power of a logo - Instant recognition, Strong connection and a Point of Differentiation. Now you would understand why companies spend so much effort and money in trying to achieve that perfect identification and nurture this over the years.
History of Firefox Logo
Coming back to Firefox - The browser that has managed to create a strong fan following and has stood the test of time (and Chrome ), was created by Dave Hyatt and Blake Ross and was first called Phoenix. See the first Firefox logo.

Funny for a browser isn’t it? Due to some trademark issues, they had to change the name, and chose Firebird to suit the logo. Probably the pull of the logo was stronger than the brand name itself. Trademark issues forced them to change yet again. This time they went for a complete brand make over and Firefox was born. The logo then as you see below was designed by Jon Hicks. What he thought while designing this could be read on his own blog over here.


Shows a fox in red colour with flames on its bushy tail engulfing Planet Mozilla– probably to share the brand vision of the widespread usage of Firefox which they have achieved today. This logo was released with version 0.8. The change came with Firefox 1.5 – the tail was made more yellow to reinforce the concept of flames / fire and contrast in blue colour increased to emphasize the difference between ocean and continents. The fox envelope around the planet is not a complete circle probably to demonstrate the open web concept. (This is what the logo means to me and might not be the intention of the company /logo creator).

The JUST NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE concept
For people who might be wondering why bother changing the logo when it goes unnoticed by most people. Companies usually change a logo very slightly below a threshold limit called as JUST NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE (JND) in marketing terms. A change below JND usually goes unnoticed and affects the consumer in long run. Eventually he gets used to the new logo without even realizing that it had changed in the first place. Marketeers say revision of logos makes them more powerful. However it is important to retain the iconic elements of the logo. A company fears backlash with a drastic change in the logo, so the journey of a logo is normally a subtle one yet it emits powerful signals in the long run.
Was the change needed?
I loved the new Firefox logo though I felt it was probably too early to change. For those of who are dismayed that this work was not given to Jon Hicks the original designer, FYI - he works today for Opera. The new logo has several changes though they might not be visible on a smaller sized image. The first change is the wrapping of the tail around the sphere-much better in the new version, the continents have been made lighter almost like a water mark, so the emphasis is more on the firefox itself. The fill colours on the fox have been been made more subtle & less contrasting. To me this gives an impression of a more serious definition of the fox as compared to the previous one with amateurish strokes. Same with the tail definition as well. The new logo is more refined and more subtle as compared to the previous version which was wild. There is also a shadow ; I am unable to think of any significance to this though.
Firefox's Marketing still gets kudos
Such subtle changes , below JND and it took them 14 iterations to come up with the final version- meaning lot of money and effort spent. However the way the process of logo change was carried out was a good marketing exercise. Keeping in line with Firefox’s openness positioning , the process of redesigning the logo began in May and Alex Faaborg, Principal Designer on Firefox,put up the creative brief and important considerations on his blog. This is indeed a rare event. Mozilla even shared the agency and posted all the iterations for public to provide feedback on. This involving of fans in the logo redesigning process ( synchronized well with their brand promise of openness ) and also generate interest for the final logo and brought the already close knit community even closer.
See the picture below to realize the importance of logos in branding!




Sources for this information -
Lifehacker blog
Mozilla blogs
The new logo creator
Mozilla links
Firefox facts