Instagram Changes Wordmark For First Time In A Decade, App Icon Stays

Instagram has unveiled a redesigned wordmark, marking the first major change to the text-based element of its visual identity in around a decade, while leaving its familiar multicoloured app icon unchanged.

Change: new wordmark replacing the script-style lettering introduced in 2016
Design: a hybrid combining conventional typography with cursive elements, with pronounced curves on the letters "s", "r" and "g"
Unveiled by: Instagram head Adam Mosseri
Unchanged: the pink, orange and purple gradient camera app icon

A Limited Refresh, Not A Full Rebrand

Mosseri described the new look as cleaner and more modern while retaining elements of the platform's original aesthetic. The change applies to the written "Instagram" branding that appears within the app, including at the top of its interface, as well as across marketing and other brand materials, but does not affect the gradient icon users see on their phone home screens. Meta has not indicated whether it plans to redesign the app icon.

The update comes roughly a decade after Instagram's last major visual overhaul, when the company replaced its retro camera-inspired icon with the simplified gradient design that has since become one of the most recognisable app icons globally. The latest redesign has already drawn mixed reactions from users, with some criticising the combination of print and cursive lettering for making the Instagram name harder to read.

The relatively limited refresh comes as Instagram itself has changed considerably from the photo-sharing app around which its earlier identity was built, having increasingly shifted towards short-form video, algorithmic recommendations, messaging and commerce.