Analyzing the Idea behind the Design of the New Firefox Logo

With the popular web browser Firefox 22 releasing itself in an altogether new form, there are noticeable changes in its logo too. Firefox is now all set to support 3D gaming, video calls, file sharing and more. It has emerged from being just another desktop browser to a browser for Android, Mac, Windows, Linux as well as various mobile apps. Consequently, the logo, too, upholds the brand new and improved Firefox in the best- possible manner.

The logo was last modified in the year 2009. It has been updated, keeping in mind the browser’s effectiveness for the mobile devices. This brand new icon has been designed by a team led by Sean Martell, who had also explained the thoughts behind the alterations in the design. According to him, factors such as SVG compatibility and color consistency have been paid maximum importance in the process of conceiving the pattern.

Noticeable Change in the Present Icon

The present icon of Firefox, when compared to the previous one, exhibits the following differences:

• To begin with, the high glossy effect of the globe has been reduced to certain extent. Instead, softer and much deeper gradients are used to create better contrast. The globe in the new icon has signs of continental drift and erosion.
• Regarding the fox fur, the deep blue has been lightened with the intention of creating a heightened contrast between the fox and the globe.
• The roundness of the edges has been enhanced while the excessive fur details removed to increase the level of clarity.
• The color of the fox nose is lightened and softened and the tail is made to glow for better effects.
• The fur of the fox is softened and the fox is provided with shoulder instead of an arm jutting out from the chest.
• Finer edge borders are added for effective contrast on different backgrounds.
• The tail curves are enhanced with subtle detailing.

From the aforementioned changes, the two aspects that come to prominence are the enhancement of details at some place and the removal of the same at other. Here is what Martell and his team had in mind with respect to these aspects:

Removal of Certain Details

It was Martell’s intention to make the design simpler so that, it appears clearer at small sizes. However, simplification is not about keeping just the geometric shapes and sizes minus the effects. Accordingly, a balance in color, contrast, shape and details has been struck to make the icon simple and visually appealing at the same time.

However, removal of some of the details has been complimented by enhancement of detailing at other places.

Enhancement of Details

Martell introduced details in the other places of the icon and the purpose was to make the logo look bright and promising when scaled to larger sizes. Subsequently, the continents of the globe have been displayed in high resolution and the glossy effect substituted by soft and deep colors. The contrast between the deep blues and the light oranges coupled with softer details of the fur in the logo leads to a better separation of elements at different sizes and hence, a much improved visual representative of the brand.

The new logo has first appeared with the desktop release of the Firefox 23 beta and will henceforth, be used in websites and promotional materials.