Instagram’s New Logo Is Here, But Why Is Everyone Saying ‘Instagzam’?

The social networking app has updated itself after almost a decade for the first time ever, and it seems the internet community is all about noticing one peculiar thing: it's becoming increasingly hard for them to recognize the new wordmark! Instagram, a part of Meta family, unveiled their redesigned text-logo on August 13, getting rid of the wordmark that had been in use for around ten years. In an interview, Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri, said that it was an attempt to make their wordmark “cleaner and more modern.”

However, things don’t seem as simple as that. In spite of complimenting Instagram’s move, people are busy cracking jokes about how “Instagram” now seems to be “Instagzam” or “Instagwam.”








This logo update came quite a bit late since the logo has remained constant for about ten years already; therefore, this change will be remembered by everyone as one big brand moment. According to Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, it was time for a logo makeover because of the past ten years.

What is more, Instagram has decided not to change the iconic colorful camera that people can easily recognize in this brand. In fact, Instagram has changed the way letters look in its name only. The new logo update can be characterized as a subtle one instead of total make-over.



The most significant issue facing the rebrand appears to be the readability of the logo. Many have complained about the new font making the "r" look like the "z," thus leading to the meme calling the social media platform "Instagzam." Other options offered include "Instagwam" and "Instaguam."

However, it is not just a joke. There were concerns raised about the readability of the font, which could become a problem when used in smaller sizes. Another aspect that attracted the attention in the discussion on Reddit was the combination of the cursive letters with the ordinary lettering.

Yet, not all users hate the new logo. Some people find it more appealing and think that the logo maintains the uniqueness of Instagram. This example proves how subjective logo design can be, especially considering the long visual history of the brand.


Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, was not surprised by how the redesign would elicit strong opinions. In addition to the new wordmark announcement, he even posted it on Threads and asked for peoples' comments. The strategy successfully managed to turn the redesign process into a discussion instead of just an announcement.

And it came swiftly. Users on social media started analyzing the letters individually, joking, and comparing the new wordmark with the old one. On a platform where visual communication is the main form of interaction, the reaction itself became the story. The new wordmark from Instagram could have just been the effort to subtly change the brand, but the internet turned it into a viral design discussion very fast


This dispute brings up an even larger question regarding branding. An effective logo does not have to be liked by everybody, yet at least it needs to retain its recognizability and convey the meaning of the brand in a proper way. The Instagram wordmark is created so that it could keep some elements of its existing identity while becoming more modernized.

It seems like modernization should not affect the legibility of a design in any way. If people instantly start to think about a well-known brand logo in terms of something totally different, and even make jokes about it, maybe it would be better for designers to reconsider their approach to visualizing it.

As the logo became the focal point of attention, some users took advantage of the opportunity to bring other unrelated issues to light regarding the platform. In the comments section on Mosseri's announcement, the users mentioned things like issues related to disabled creator and business accounts and lack of proper support from the platform. This indicates that some users prefer for the company to deal with more pressing matters than making aesthetic changes to their brand.

This behavior can be observed anytime when a large platform makes visual changes to itself. Users always judge visual updates keeping in mind their overall experience on the platform.


From a technical point of view, the change is not that big as one might expect. In other words, Instagram has got a new wordmark but not a completely redesigned logo.

Nevertheless, the response demonstrates how much attention can be paid to a small change in case the change is related to a brand known all over the world. Indeed, the old wordmark of the company has been in use during the whole decade. This means that changing something well-known was destined to cause a lot of nostalgia, criticism and comparison.

What is really important to note at the moment, is that the problem is not in the fact that Instagram has changed its logo. This is true. The more relevant question is whether users will get used to the new lettering or see "Instagzam" each time.


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