It’s important to maintain visual consistency across our videos and initiatives. This page is intended to provide external agencies, contractors, and partners with information about the Foundation video and animation production guidelines, visual styling, and process overview.
General Process
Mozilla produces a number of videos every year and a Mozilla Explains series. General videos can use the Mozilla Foundation brand guidelines and elements, while the Mozilla Explains series utilizes the Trustworthy AI assets along with a custom intro bumper.
Approval Process: Mozilla Foundation videos, animation, and motion must be approved by a member of the Foundation design team. This includes work from both internal or external studios or contractors along with concepts, art direction, and video drafts. Overall script, styling, and the final video will be approved by the producer and any other associated stakeholders.
Art direction: Art is directed both within our organization and, occasionally, in collaboration with external partners. For general Mozilla-themed videos, following the Mozilla brand guidelines is most appropriate. Mozilla Explains, AI-related content should be in line with the Trustworthy AI brand and Privacy Not Included content should follow our PNI theme guidelines. For specific, one-off, or holiday-themed campaigns, diverging from the corporate Mozilla Foundation guidelines is appropriate. Art Direction must be approved by the Mozilla design team before video implementation occurs.
Brand Guidance for Video
Video and animation should align with the existing Mozilla Foundation brand guidelines. When appropriate, brand elements within Trustworthy AI and Privacy Not Included can be incorporated into the visual styling.
Typography
Video titles, headers, and introductions should primarily use the Zilla typeface. Please try to avoid the use of Zilla Highlight in videos. It's also important to note that a lot of our videos will be viewed on smaller screens or mobile sizes, so type weight and size should accommodate for this.
When appropriate and as needed, there is also the freedom to use ITC Franklin Gothic (which will be provided via Mozilla) and Nunito Sans (available via Google Fonts).
Mozilla Explains
The Mozilla Explains series uses the Trustworthy AI theme branding.
Privacy Not Included
Privacy Not Included occasionally has holiday-themed creative and content. More information about these guidelines can be found here.
Example Style Frames from Past Videos
Filming and Editing Process
Long-form videos and some series may require producers, directors, animators, and other production assistance as needed.
Logistics: If required, the producer will arrange interviewee equipment ahead of filming along with arranging times for an equipment test and the interview with the interviewee and the director.
Scripts: A script and/or interview questions will be created ahead of production as a collaborative effort between the producer, director and interviewee plus other Mozilla stakeholders as required for that topic.
Filming: Filming will be coordinated by the producer and may involve the director and editor.
Editing: The editing of the video will be conducted by the director and/or editor.
Motion: Any motion graphics or animations will be provided to the video editor by the animator. If an alternate process for collaboration between the editor and animator is preferred, it will be included in the brief.
Further documentation of this in relation to the Mozilla Explains series can be found here.
Assets
General videos or animations should include the opening 'm' bumper and the full Mozilla logo bumper at the end of the video. The Mozilla Explains series uses a custom bumper. For any additional future series outside of Mozilla Explains, there is the option of developing a new branded bumper, but it will have to be approved by the Foundation design team. Videos should also include the Mozilla 'm' favicon in the bottom right corner—as seen in the third image.
Deliverables
Primary deliverables will include both the original working files and exports for the various video distribution channels of the Foundation.
File hand-off: Most video projects will require original file hand-off for the Mozilla Foundation's documentation and records unless stated otherwise in the contract or brief. File hand-off includes providing the producer and design team with organized Premiere, After Effects, or whichever original file format the video was edited in along with their dependencies, links, and assets within the project manager. Depending on the project, the desired hand-off will be coordinated with the producer and a designer. Files can be uploaded to the Mozilla Foundation site via a link provided by a Mozilla designer.
Exports: The Foundation's primary video distribution platforms are Youtube, Vimeo, Instagram, IG TV, Instagram Stories, and Twitter. Most videos can be exported at 1920 x 1080, but please follow individual guidelines of platforms where appropriate. Occasionally, contracts and briefs may also include additional video sizes (e.g. square or vertical formats). The preferred format is MP4 for audio and MP3 or WAV for audio.
Additional assets: Sometimes additional assets may be required, such as video still images for social media or video cover images. If this is required, the producer will include anything additional in the video brief.
Captions and Translations
The Foundation frequently produces and hosts content in multiple languages. Certain videos may require translations and captions.
Captions: All videos will require captions in SRT format. This is the responsibility of the producer to arrange captions and provide the SRT file unless stated otherwise. The producer will provide the agency/contractor/editor with the SRT file to integrate either open or closed captions in video export.
Translations: Any translations of the video will be arranged by the producer and the localization project manager. They will be provided in an SRT file format and will sometimes require exporting as open or closed captions in video export.
Further information about SRT creation can be viewed here.
Past Examples
Still image for video promotion
We also need a still of the video with an overlay of our play button over top of it to promote it in our email, share image for our blog, and on social. Illustrator file with the dimensions are play button is here.