Instagram has introduced a new visual identity for its brand and brand resources with a new logo, typefaces, colours and other elements. The visual refresh will also include a new approach to layout and design for the mobile app and web browser experience. Here are some of the changes made by the Meta-owned social media platform and the reasoning behind them.
New Instagram gradient
Instagram’s iconic polaroid rainbow has got a new refresh. What started as a static, the polaroid rainbow is now an array of colours that dynamically changes in response to content and interaction. The gradient shifts in composition and colour balance in a 2D and 3D space. The gradient is used in the “Story rings” and serves as the backbone of its colour palette.
The new gradient is designed to shift with interactions and context. (Image credit: Instagram)
Instagram’s new custom typeface
Instagram has created a new global custom typeface called “Instagram Sans,” inspired by the Instagram glyph that consists of the minimalist shape of a camera. “The in-between moments of a perfect circle and a square, which we lovingly call the “squircle,” show up throughout the typeface,” says Instagram’s website.
The typeface comes in three styles: Instagram Sans, a more playful Instagram Sans Headline and the block-like Instagram Sans. Of course, all these fonts also come in multiple weights like light, regular, medium and bold. These types are designed with accessibility in mind and are inspired by global scripts.
The new typeface. (Image credit: Instagram)
The company has tried to make the font seem “more human” and have a “friendly personality” with details like a teardrop shape in the interior of “a” and sheared endpoints of lines that suggest that they were written with the flick of a human hand.
Instagram’s new layout and design approach
Instagram says that its new approach to the layout of its brand resources will mirror the experience on its mobile app. The company will make its marketing communication “confident and simple, placing community and content at the forefront.
Instagram’s new layout and design approach will be used for all its resources. (Image credit: Instagram)
Inspired by the app, Instagram’s new design language will have full-bleed images that reference the in-app experience while drawing all the attention to content. According to Instagram, this is because its user interface tells the story of its product.
