Instagram changes wordmark for first time in a decade, app icon stays
Instagram head Adam Mosseri unveiled the redesign on Thursday
by
Published: Aug 14, 2026 8:54 AM | 2 min read
Follow Us
- Instagram has introduced a redesigned wordmark, its first significant update in nearly ten years, while keeping the existing multicolored app icon unchanged.
- The new wordmark features a hybrid design that blends conventional typography with cursive elements, with specific letters reflecting the platform's earlier visual identity.
- Instagram head Adam Mosseri described the redesign as cleaner and more modern, though reactions from users have been mixed, with some finding the new lettering harder to read.
- This update comes as Instagram evolves from a photo-sharing app to a platform focused on short-form video, algorithmic recommendations, and commerce, while the recognizable gradient camera icon remains intact.
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.
The new wordmark replaces the script-style lettering introduced in 2016 with a hybrid design combining conventional typography with cursive elements. The letters “s”, “r” and “g” retain more pronounced curves intended to reference Instagram’s earlier visual identity.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri unveiled the redesign on Thursday, describing 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. It does not affect the pink, orange and purple gradient camera icon users see on their phone home screens.
View this post on Instagram
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. In 2016, 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 also comes as Instagram itself has changed considerably from the photo-sharing app around which its earlier identity was built. The Meta-owned platform has increasingly shifted towards short-form video, algorithmic recommendations, messaging and commerce.
For now, however, Instagram appears to be modernising the less prominent part of its visual identity while retaining the gradient camera icon that has represented the platform since 2016.
Read more news about Digital Media, Internet Advertising, Marketing News, Television Media, Radio Media
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & Google News