Just one of the concepts from Happy Cog on redesignmozilla.org
Just recently, Happy Cog created a Web site called Redesign Mozilla. It gives the public a chance to view the design process for one of the most reputable companies on the internet, Mozilla. I find the experiment completely awesome, because people get to see inside of the designers mind, and get to interact with the designs Happy Cog is attempting to pitch (acting as sort of a public focus group).
But, it does raise a couple of questions in my head. In our past thread, George Thompson made a really great point in the Tropicana discussion, basically saying that sometimes things don’t need a redesign. A good friend sent me the book Designing Design by Kenya Hara and in the book it sort of dabbles into the same points, I will do my best to review the book later. But if we cannot understand why things need a redesign, then the object or brand probably didn’t need to have one in the first place.
Elegant, unique, and easy to navigate.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Happy Cog, just like the other 50,000 fan boys out there who whimper at the knee’s to the sight of Mr. Zeldman. But does Mozilla.org really need a redesign? Couldn’t they just use the very good looking Mozilla.com design and make a variation of it? I’m afraid that this might take the toll of Tropicana from the mock-ups I have seen so far.
But does Mozilla.org really need a redesign? Couldn’t they just use the very good looking Mozilla.com design and make a variation of it?
Great question! Honestly, it’s also one that we at Happy Cog asked before taking on this project. Fortunately, the Mozilla team has “a very articulate vision”:https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mozilla.org/Redesign for the .org that is different from the goal of the .com, which warrants its own personality.
In my last post – Making A Website Is Easy, I researched an article on A List Apart titled Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign and it raises some interesting questions in the debate of redesigning a website. I think the main point it makes is that a redesign comes from a place of emotion where as a realignment comes from more of a business/market point of view.
Weather they need a redesign or not….those new designs are pretty well thought out and…well..beautiful
I think Dan probably said it best, Mozilla came to them and said they wanted something new and understood exactly what they want. Sometimes with clients, I would rather them not know exactly what they want, so I can give creative input better. But I think the outcome will be a well planned set of actions set forth by Mozilla. Can’t deny that! I’m excited to see the outcome.