Instagram Has a New Logo. Here’s What We Think.
If you’ve scrolled through Instagram this past week, you may have noticed something a little different.
For the first time in about a decade, Instagram has introduced a new logo. The familiar gradient camera icon isn’t going anywhere, but the script style wordmark has been replaced with a cleaner, more modern design.
So, is this a rebrand? Not quite. As we’ve discussed before, there’s an important difference between a rebrand and a refresh, and Instagram’s latest update is a great example of the latter. Here’s what we think of the shift.
The Evolution of Instagram’s Visual Identity
Instagram’s visual identity has evolved significantly since the platform launched in 2010.
Its original app icon resembled a realisitc vintage Polaroid camera, which was a perfect fit for an app originally centered around retro photo filters. As the platform has changed over the years, it is only natural that their branding has evolved alongside it.
In 2016, the retro camera icon was swapped for the simplified gradient icon we know today. At the same time, Instagram adopted the script wordmark that remained unchanged for the next decade.
Now, Instagram is evolving again.
The New Wordmark: A Designer’s Take
Personally, I think this refresh does something well that can be surprisingly difficult for many brands to grasp: it modernizes the brand without straying too far from its visual identity.
The new lettering feels clean and more contemporary, but they also retained some of the handwritten character of its previous wordmark. There’s enough familiarity to connect the old and new identities, and the direction of the new wordmark also seems to complement their gradient theme well.
It is no secret that Instagram has massive global brand recognition. Completely reinventing its visual identity would mean giving that up, and potentially hurt their overall brand. By leaving its app icon untouched and modernizing the wordmark instead, Instagram gets a fresher visual system without requiring their billions of users to relearn the brand.
The Drawback: Legibility
Of course, no design change is going to please everyone.
One of the biggest criticisms of the new wordmark has been legibility. Many users have joked that the lettering looks more like “Instagzam” than “Instagram.” That’s a serious drawback for any wordmark, especially when its primary job is to communicate a brand name clearly.
Lots of prominent brands have also taken to social media to poke fun at Instagram’s new look:
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Design changes to familiar brands almost always feel strange at first — we’ve seen it with other major brands we’ve written about, including Airbnb, the Washington Commanders, and the Cleveland Browns.
Love it or hate it, Instagram’s refresh offers a useful branding lesson: you don’t always need to reinvent your identity to keep it relevant. Sometimes, thoughtful updates are enough.
Whether your brand needs a few thoughtful updates or a bigger transformation, we can help. Reach out to us to start the conversation!
