Instagram has introduced a new wordmark, replacing what the source describes as an iconic look with something markedly different. According to the excerpt, the company appears to have decided the old design looked dated and rolled out the replacement this week.
The reaction captured in the source is blunt: the new wordmark does not look like the old Instagram wordmark, and it is so stylized that observers say it no longer even appears to spell “Instagram.” That makes the redesign feel less like a subtle refresh and more like a jarring break from a familiar brand identity.
The excerpt also emphasizes the confusion around the decision. On the Vergecast episode, the hosts say they cannot figure out why Instagram made the change, framing the rebrand less as an obvious update than as a puzzling alteration to one of tech’s most recognizable wordmarks.