Firefox redesign concepts reveal a Chrome-esque direction

A set of Firefox design mock-ups posted by a Mozilla designer hint at a Chrome-inspired future for the popular web browser.

Although the design ideas were created for internal use only and there's no guarantee that any of the elements of them will come to future iterations of the browser, they give a cheeky insight into the kind of ideas Mozilla is looking at.

The mock-ups do away with the search toolbar, with the address box likely to double as a search box, just like Google's browser.

Design elements seem to swing between Chrome and Safari, with round-edged tabs echoing Chrome and the silver translucence of the toolboxes and bars looking a lot like something Apple would brew up.

Rather than having extra buttons taking up room on the toolbar, they're hidden away, accessed by hitting the settings button, which opens up a toolbox of shortcuts and options.

While these elements may not actually make it into the next Firefox, the mock-ups prove that Mozilla is looking to create a cleaner, less cluttered browsing experience and likely hoping to win back its UK lead over Chrome in the process.