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Instagram Updates Wordmark to Bolder Semi‑Cursive Script

Meta frames the change as a modernization with a full brand rollout planned through 2026.

Overview

  • Instagram unveiled the redesigned wordmark on Thursday, Aug. 13, and has begun a global rollout that the company says will continue as part of a wider identity update through 2026.
  • The new mark shifts from the loose 2016 cursive to a heavier, semi‑cursive/semi‑print script that alters several letters — notably the s, r and g — to create a more compact, bolder look.
  • Instagram left its familiar multicolored gradient app icon unchanged and said the wordmark sits inside a broader system that adds updated typefaces called Instagram Sans, Instagram Pen and Instagram Mono.
  • Public reaction has been sharply mixed, with many users praising the fresher feel while others complain the new letterforms hurt legibility and joke the word reads “Instagzam,” raising accessibility concerns.
  • Meta’s design team says it tested hundreds of directions before returning to a script-influenced solution, and the update signals a coordinated visual alignment across Meta apps that could change how the platform presents content and branding to billions of users.