On August 13, 2026, Instagram announced that it was changing its logo for the first time in nearly ten years - and just an hour after the announcement, social media already had a new word for it: "Instagzam."
The new letters combine styles commonly used in the Instagram Sans font family, so they still retain some cursive shapes in certain letters but have sharper outlines overall.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced the launch of the new word mark both on Instagram and on Threads, calling it a "neater and more up-to-date version of what used to be there," while pointing out that the new mark follows the principles of simplicity and craftsmanship used in the original mark design. The colorful gradient camera icon Instagram used to launch the app did not change; only the wordmark was modified.
The issue with the new wordmark is the letter "r." In the new font, the small letter "r" is very close to the "g" letter, which makes many people believe that it is a "z" instead. Mosseri's post was immediately followed by a large number of comments about the mark - some people praised the new letter design for its idea.
In contrast, others pointed out that the wordmark is barely readable and is likely to cause accessibility problems when printed in small type.
Instagram's head of product design, Jasmine Probst, said the logo had to embody individuality, which is why the script painted the new lettering, even though a big part of young users never learn cursive writing at school today - an inter-generational contradiction in itself, becoming part of the joke.
The ridicule grew more pronounced when the competitor AI bot ChatGPT swooped in and redrew its name the same way ChatGPT did. It even went on its Indian account to share a spoofed alphabet showing different ways to misread an R.
A Well-Known Brand Development Story
This is not the first logo scandal for Instagram. When it replaced its brown Polaroid camera icon in 2016 with its current pink and yellow gradient version, it was met with such disdain that media called it a public "freak-out", with some critics referring to the new logo as a "disaster". Nevertheless, that icon is now synonymous with the Instagram brand.
And Instagram isn't the only one going through this. Airbnb also faced ridicule in 2014 when the company changed its wordmark, and last year's attack on Cracker Barrel for simplifying its logo was stronger than the one on Instagram.
Nevertheless, industry experts believe that Instagram's recent update is a small change that did not lead to a strong reaction in the company stock.
The Global Launch
The new wordmark is being introduced to Instagram's website and app around the world through the end of 2026. This step-by-step approach means many users worldwide will see both wordmarks for some time.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment