Instagram Unveils First Major Brand Refresh in Over a Decade
Instagram has unveiled its first significant brand overhaul in over a decade, featuring a complete redesign of its visual identity. This update, spearheaded by Meta's internal design team under the guidance of creative director Christy Silva and brand design director Cynthia Pratomo, reflects Instagram's transformation from a basic photo-sharing service to a versatile platform with varied tones, ranging from serious to edgy. Notable features include a polished script wordmark, a new viewfinder element inspired by the camera glyph, and a custom typeface named Instagram Pen. The sunset gradient is now more selectively applied, while the redesign highlights everyday creativity and imperfection, drawing inspiration from tactile photographic tools. Collaborations with artists like Rosalía and Olivia Rodrigo have contributed to the new typefaces.
Key facts
- Instagram unveiled its first major brand refresh in over ten years.
- The refresh was led by creative director Christy Silva and director of brand design Cynthia Pratomo.
- The new identity includes a refined script wordmark, a viewfinder device, and a custom typeface called Instagram Pen.
- Instagram Sans has been refined, and a new Instagram Sans Mono introduced.
- The sunset gradient is now used selectively, appearing as a light leak, with an inverted gradient for deeper layers.
- The team retained the script wordmark after finding that removing it made the brand unrecognizable.
- Instagram Pen was created by testing various writing styles to achieve a 'warm, collective signature'.
- The refresh emphasizes everyday creativity and imperfection, drawing on tactile photographic tools.
Entities
Artists
- Christy Silva
- Cynthia Pratomo
- Rosalía
- Olivia Rodrigo
Institutions
- Meta