Instagram sparks mixed reactions with first logo update in a decade
Instagram gave its wordmark logo a makeover for the first time in a decade, leaving the internet divided.
The social media platform unveiled its new look on Thursday, Aug. 13, marking its first major refresh since 2016.
"The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh," Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri wrote in a post. "Cleaner and more modern, with references to the original and the simplicity and craft that’s always made it Instagram."
Some welcomed the wordmark logo update in the comments section of Mosseri's post. “Yess! Make cursive cool again. Maybe they’ll learn it in schools now,” an IG user said.
Others described it as "clean" and "fresh."
“New is good. New is always good!” wrote another.
But not everyone was impressed. Shortly after the new logo was unveiled, social media users began sharing jokes about the redesign.
“Once you see it as instagZam, you just can’t unsee it,” one user commented.
“It’s not recognizable and doesn’t hit the same,” another one said.
Another compared the new design to AI-generated lettering, writing, “Used to look handwritten, now looks like an AI tried to write it. Can't say it's not updated.”
Others questioned the need for the change. “But why? So much effort for what?” one user wrote, while another joked, “I bet this was 50K. Can we just get what we are asking for?”
IG's previous major visual refresh came ten years ago, when it ditched its old retro camera icon for the bright, gradient-filled design that has represented the app since.
