Instagram presented an update to its logo this Thursday, the first design change in 10 years. The renewal aims for a “cleaner and more modern” identity, as explained by Adam Mosseri, the head of the platform.
However, the change was met with mixed reactions on social media. Some users questioned the legibility of the new design and pointed out that certain letters could be confused with others.
What the new Instagram logo looks like
Adam Mosseri explained that the Instagram wordmark had not changed in a decade and that it was time to update it. The proposal seeks to retain references to the original design, but with a more modern aesthetic.
The new logo maintains the visual identity of the platform, although it modifies the typography used to write Instagram. The traditional multicolored camera-shaped icon, on the other hand, was not altered.
Why users mocked the new Instagram logo
One of the main criticisms was related to the shape of some letters. Several users pointed out that the stylized “r” can look like a “z” or a “u,” while the “s” was compared to an “a.”
The comments quickly turned into jokes about how the platform's name reads. One user wrote that the logo looked like it said "Instagzam", while another compared it to how a child might pronounce "Instagwam".
There were also more serious criticisms related to accessibility and legibility. One user questioned whether the new design would pass accessibility checks and claimed they could barely read it.
