Instagram updates its wordmark logo for the first time in 10 years

In short: Instagram has unveiled a refreshed “Instagram” wordmark, its first update to the text logo in about 10 years.

What happened

Instagram shared a new version of its wordmark, meaning the stylized text that spells out “Instagram.” The company’s head, Adam Mosseri, described it as “leaner and more modern,” and said it references the original look.

The update is focused on the lettering, not the app’s main icon. The new design uses a different style for the “s” and changes the spacing between letters, which designers call “kerning” (the tiny gaps between letters that can make a word easier or harder to read).

The change drew quick reactions online, including people saying the word looks like it could be read as “Instagzam.” Ars Technica’s creative director wrote that the wordmark resembles a common problem in AI-made images, where generated text often looks almost right but has odd shapes, cut-off strokes, or spacing that makes letters look like other letters (like a street sign that was copied badly).

Why it matters

A logo change sounds small, but Instagram’s name is shown in many places, from app screens to ads and press images. If people have to squint to read it, or if it is easy to misread, that can weaken brand recognition. The debate also highlights a bigger moment in design and media, where many people have gotten used to seeing “almost readable” AI text, and now some are noticing similar visual quirks even in human-made work.

Source: Arstechnica