Refreshing the original visual platform.
Redesigning a globally-recognized logo is a polarizing opportunity: Do you put your personal style on display, or stay true to what the brand’s users are familiar with? I believe the best designs channel a company’s culture, not the designer’s. So in creating the new logotype for Instagram I was keenly aware of balancing their need for an updated, refined, and flexible script while paying homage to the familiar wordmark millions of users know and love.
When compared side by side, the update is extensive and obvious. However, by maintaining many of the core visual characteristics of the original typography, the new script is able to feel familiar. This balance provided both the respect for the past and the necessary evolution to become distinctive and proprietary.
As the company and product continue to grow and evolve, the logo is able to adapt and be interpreted while staying definitively Instagram. A good brand is able to consistently reinvent itself in an ever-changing market while maintaining consistency within its identity.