02

Personality

It’s what makes Firefox tick

Our brand personality helps us cultivate a shared vision for our brand, so we can achieve consistency in everything we put into the world. These four words, when taken together, describe how we come across in our tone, design and spirit. You’ll see these words repeated several times throughout the guidelines, as we define them for design, tone of voice, and specific communication channels.

Opinion-
ated

Our products prove that we are driven by strong convictions. Now we’re giving voice to our point of view. While others can only speak to settings, we ground everything in our ethos.

Open

Open-minded. Open-hearted. Open source. An open book. We make transparency and a global perspective integral to our brand, speaking many languages and striving to reflect all vantage points.

Radical

It’s a radical act to be optimistic about the future of the internet. It’s a radical act to serve users before ourselves.We disrupt the status quo because it’s the right thing to do.

Kind

We want what’s best for the internet, and for the world. So we lead by example. Build better products. Start conversations. Partner, collaborate, educate and inform. Our empathy extends to everybody.

Brand Voice & Tone

As with all aspects of our brand expression, our tone of voice is guided by our brand personality – translating those traits into actionable writing direction.

Opinionated

We assert an informed point of view, grounding that POV in proof and truth. We speak with confidence and authority, guided by our convictions and focused on solutions. We don’t qualify or hedge. We choose strong verbs over adverbs, and clarity over comprehensiveness. And it’s always in service of the user. We never go so far as to feel bossy, accusatory or know-it-all.

Like this

Your life is your business, not ours. Everything we make and do fights for you. (assertive POV)

It shouldn’t be hard to own your life online. (clear, confident, inclusive, concise)

Privacy isn’t a setting. It’s a mindset. (speaks directly to our ethos)

Not this

Do the work to protect yourself online. (bossy)

Big Tech doesn’t care about you. Choose Firefox. (accusatory)

You’re doing passwords all wrong. Get Firefox Lockbox. (accusatory, know-it-all)

Open

We think about and write for everyone, challenging ourselves to find warmth, humor and brevity that translates – across cultures, generations and languages. We consider accessibility and inclusion in every sentence we write. We strive to be ungendered – speaking in the second person “you” most often, but choosing “they” when we speak about users either singular or plural. We practice transparency, sharing the why and how behind what we do – not just the what. And we are always open to and inviting of other perspectives.

Like this

Ad trackers aren’t just annoying and intrusive. They also slow you down. (sharing how/why)

No account required. But you might want one. (transparency/privacy as a selling point)

Be weird. Be safe. (welcoming, inclusive, accepting)

Not this

Get the 411 on 404s. (turns into nonsense when translated)

Hey guys! or Ladies and Gentlemen! (assumes binary gender association)

Radical

We are radically optimistic. We foresee a vibrant future ahead, and we paint the picture of how we can build it together. We don’t “float above” what we’re describing – we use language to evoke feeling, memory, connection, optimism. Energy. We take calculated risks, looking for moments to push the conversation further than we’ve been before. But we don’t get Pollyanna about the future, and we never shock for shock’s sake.

Like this

Improve lives, not profits. (painting a picture, rallying cry to our peers)

Live your life. Own your life. (evoking feeling, connection, about the user not us)

Firefox fights for you. (pushing the conversation further than it’s been)

Get the browser built for you, not advertisers (points to the problem without pointing the finger)

Not this

Fuck Tech. (too much shock, not enough substance)

Browse against the machine. (radical? yes, kind? no)

If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product. (“truth-telling” that’s sensational, not categorically true)

Kind

We approach every conversation in the spirit of collaboration. We speak to you with warmth, empathy and understanding – like a person, not an algorithm. We respect, inform and empower users. But we don’t get too familiar or chummy. And we never deliver a dissertation when a single line will do. We stay focused on you and what will serve you best in each moment.

Like this

The future is you. We’re here for it. (human, empowering, user as hero)

Been hacked? Don’t panic. Let’s talk next steps. (empathetic, human, emotive, reassuring)

More power to you. (warm, empowering: a compliment and a promise)

Not this

We’re here to keep you safe. (too familiar, soft, unclear)

We’ve got your back. (too chummy, too slangy)

We got those ad trackers out of your way. (too familiar, not informative)