When Instagram changes its logo, the eruption from the public was on an epic scale.
Many were upset that the instantly recongizable logo was gone, replaced by a childish gradient mix of colors, and a symbol barely resembling a camera.
What causes the uproar? A sense of attachment to the previous logo. Not necessarily the old one was better, but people are comfortable with it.
About 75% of the negative reaction will be simply to the fact that it has changed
Logo is often the first thing we judge a brand on. Serious? Fun? Conservative? Playful? Vibrant? Simple? Friendly?
Our first impression are rarely right. We don’t get an understanding of the thought process that went into the design, the details involved, or the cohesiveness of the overall identity. Not with just one glance. But add some context and accompanying elements and the overall impression becomes much more distinctive.
Logo is less about the first impression, and more about how it brings the whole brand together. It’s a marathon rather than a sprint. A striking logo at first glance may not blend well with the brand history, values, products and the direction moving forward. How it ages is just important in how the logo applies to various touch points. In other words, logo is just a small part of the brand identity suite.
Going back to Instagram. They have decided to embrace the minimal and flat trend that is prevalent across many UI and logo design.
In application, it’s decent. The icon has been reduced significantly, with just enough elements to be recongized as a camera. The iconic rainbow stripe is gone. It’s like stripping of all essence of the previous logo away as they move forward. A completely modern revamp that leaves no traces of its past.
I’m not a big fan of this refresh, but I’m sure I’ll be one of those people that will complain lesser and lesser, and eventually get used to it.