Instagram unveils new logo, but it's not quite picture perfect

Instagram, the photo sharing app owned by Facebook, responsible for such cultural highlights as hot-dog legs, The Fat Jewish memes and Rich Kids of, well, Instagram, has debuted a new logo.

The previous one, a retro-looking camera, and one of the most recognisable tech logos out there, has been replaced by a background swirl of sunset colours (orange, yellow, pink, purple) and a white outline of a camera. As if the camera was murdered, and chalk was drawn around its body. Murdered at sundown. Here it is:

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The new logo was announced via a blog post, a longer post on Medium from head of design, Ian Spalter, and also a short introductory film. The kind that is usually intensely annoying, but actually this one is quite cute (warning though: the end has a lot of flashing and intense colours).

The blog post asserts that the “Instagram community has evolved over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos to so much more – a global community of interests sharing more than 80m photos and videos every day. Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become.”

Opinion on social media from Instagram users is split. Some are on the fence:

But some really like it:

Some, are even MORE into it:

Some think it resembles the iOS photos app logo. Which it totally does not, but w/e.

But those in the design business do seem to genuinely like it (sorry, I was joking before):

As well as the main Instagram logo, the company’s companion apps Boomerang, Hyperlapse and Layout also have updated designs. Although their logos were already much fresher looking than the old main one, which has long been in need of an update and adhered to the older fashion for skeuomorphism (logos that look like their IRL counterparts). Instagram reckons its old-school camera was “no longer reflective of the community”.

Changes have also been made to the in-app UI, specifically a “flatter” design as well as some colour changes. Fonts are now black in colour, and notifications have changed from orange to red. Instagram has said that the update “puts more focus on your photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app.”

Instagram ends its update post with a message to its users: “Thank you for giving this community its life and colour”. Instagram – you are welcome.