Instagram's New Logo Sparks User Backlash Over Legibility and Design
The Meta-owned platform's first logo update in a decade has drawn criticism for its readability and aesthetic.
Instagram has updated its logo for the first time in ten years, a change that has been met with significant user dissatisfaction online. The Meta-owned app quietly rolled out the new branding, which many users are finding difficult to read, with some deeming it an "absolute abomination."
The updated logo features a bolder, simpler wordmark with a rounded font and fewer connected letters compared to its predecessor. Jasmine Probst, Director of Product Design at Instagram, stated that the design "reflects individuality" and that the "new wordmark is bolder and simpler, with touches of unexpectedness." She added that it "cues individual expression, a personal voice, both of which have always been core to Instagram."
However, social media reactions indicate that the legibility of the letter 'r' is a primary concern. Users on platforms like X have posted comments such as, "So we're all reading the new Instagram logo as InstagZAM right?" and "Yo dog, what's your Instagzam?"
May Hartono, Director of Brand Design at Meta, explained that the refreshed brand system is intended to "put our community's creativity and self-expression front and center" and to "spark courageous action and give people the confidence to create and show up as themselves, freely and fully." The design team reportedly explored "hundreds of directions" before settling on the current iteration.
Beyond legibility issues, some users have criticized the new logo's overall aesthetic, calling it "ugly" and comparing it unfavorably to previous versions. One comment read, "Not that I like Instagram but the old logo at least had some charm to it. The new one looks like some bulls*** startup for a hipster coffee brand or something."
In response to the new logo, other brands, including ChatGPT, McDonald's, and KitKat, have humorously posted their own mock "new logos" using Instagram's updated font style, with KitKat quipping, "One thing that will never change: the importance of having a break."