Mozilla gives Firefox a new logo to span new apps and services
"Firefox" doesn't just mean the open-source web browser anymore.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Mozilla on Tuesday unveiled its new Firefox logo -- actually a family of logos -- designed to give a unified identity to its broadening suite of products and services.
You probably know the Firefox name from Mozilla's open-source browser. But the new Firefox "master brand" stands for a collection of tools that'll sport the Firefox name. That includes not just the browser, but also Firefox Send for transferring files, Firefox Lockwise to store and sync passwords, and Firefox Monitor to check if your password was exposed in a data breach.
"That's just the beginning of the new Firefox family," Mozilla said in a blog post about the new brand. The master brand is a variation of Firefox's globe-encompassing, flaming fox, but it's mostly just a stylized flame that opens the door to a broader suite of colors.
A master Firefox brand, at top, spawns variations for different Mozilla apps and tools.
Mozilla is expanding its tools, but the icon for the Firefox browser, used by close to 300 million people each month, is likely to remain the most important one you'll see on your PC or phone screen for now. As first reported by CNET, the new Firefox browser icon is stylized, simplified, and for the first time faces you. The blue Earth is now purple (the continents vanished in an earlier redesign), and the fox's legs are gone altogether.
The new branding comes during a push to emphasize private browsing that contrasts with the user-tracking priorities of online advertising giants Facebook and Google, maker of the rival Chrome browser. Firefox remains an important browser, but it hasn't dented Chrome's dominance. With privacy now in vogue in tech circles -- yes, even at Google and Facebook -- Mozilla has a new chance to win new loyalists.
The new Firefox brand opens the door to some new color schemes. Mozilla likes the gradients.
"Privacy is woven into every Firefox brand experience. With each release, our products will continue to add features that protect you and alert you to risks," Mozilla said. "Unlike Big Tech companies that claim to offer privacy but still use you and your data, with us you know where you stand."
This month, Firefox began blocking attempts to track your browsing behavior across the web, though the change affects new users only for now and will only be enabled for existing users in coming months. The move followed browsers Safari and Brave. Microsoft is building a similar tool into its Edge browser.
Mozilla will distribute the new Firefox browser icon with an update of the software arriving this fall.
Originally published June 11, 8:04 a.m. PT
Update, 1:06 p.m.: Adds schedule for when the Firefox browser will ship with the new icon.