Instagram

2026
Identity Design, 标识设计

A new job for an iconic wordmark

Over fifteen years, Instagram evolved from a place to share photos into one of the world’s most influential cultural platforms—a home for creators, communities, businesses, and everyday interactions. During that time, the way people create changed. The way people communicate changed. And Instagram changed to meet the expanding needs of its growing community.

Yet one thing remained largely untouched: the wordmark.

As Instagram’s broader brand ecosystem evolved, a new tension emerged. The Instagram glyph became ubiquitous. While the wordmark, despite its immense equity, remained constrained.

The original wordmark had served the brand well. But it was now expected to function as a marquee global brand asset, working in concert with the wider brand system across marketing campaigns, product experiences, creator ecosystems, and cultural moments. All while scaling into new apps like Instants and Edits.

The challenge was complex, but clear: create a wordmark capable of expressing what Instagram is today and will be in the future, while preserving the familiarity and equity built over more than a decade of global recognition.
一个简单的词,却足以撼动一切——YES。

“YES”所释放出的能量、生命力与纯粹喜悦,成为推动这场品牌焕新的核心力量,也彻底改变了人们对于 Campaign 的想象。

科技可以有个性吗?YES。
仅凭字体,也能讲述一个精彩故事吗?YES。
企业安全能否兼具趣味与可靠,为企业筑起坚实防线?YES。

我们围绕“YES”创作出一场丰富多变的动态视觉盛宴,让它在任何尺寸、任何屏幕上都足够吸睛。每一个细节都承载着优雅与乐观,让最终的视觉表达充满感染力。

如需更详细的项目信息,欢迎查阅 Scholar 团队的项目介绍。
    • Instagram Team: 
    • Koto team: Jo Roca, Kyle Toukaly, Zoe Schnieder, Yi Mao, Paul 


    The Impossible BriefUnraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.


    The Impossible BriefUnraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.


    The Impossible BriefUnraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.


    The ProcessFinding a personal touch

    The original Instagram wordmark spoke to the era of early mobile apps—designed to convey personality and nostalgia. Its quirky flourishes and bespoke handcrafted characteristics made it unique and memorable. Despite countless shifts in technology, culture, and visual trends, it had outlived most identities designed in the same era. That longevity felt significant. 

    Working alongside the Instagram team, we explored hundreds of variations. We studied handwritten forms, calligraphic gestures, and the subtle imperfections that make human expression feel authentic. Every curve and connection was scrutinized. The process became one of calibration: how much could change and still be remembered? 

    Here, Instagram’s recognition lends a unique advantage; an opportunity to evolve the brand with great intention, and some measured liberties. For example, the distinct, simplified ‘r’ in the ‘gr’ ligature was refined to recall the original script and build a new iconic feeling for the brand. 

    The future of Instagram’s identity could not be designed purely through optimization. It had to feel authored.




    = The Impossible Brief
    Unraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.


    The Impossible BriefUnraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.

    The Impossible BriefUnraveling a unique paradox

    Instagram’s wordmark is encountered billions of times each day. It carries enormous cultural and emotional importance. It also needs to perform across an increasingly complex ecosystem of products, platforms, and experiences. 

    Redesigning one of the world’s most recognizable wordmarks presents a unique contradiction: every change matters, yet too much change risks losing everything that made it renowned in the first place. At the same time, the new wordmark needed to establish a closer relationship with Instagram’s iconic glyph and wider brand identity—creating a visual system that felt unified without sacrificing the distinct character of either asset. 

    To create something new, we first had to understand what people already loved.







    Typefaces: Diatype and Maxi by Dinamo
    Website: Cargo 3

    © 2017–2026 Yi Mao All rights reserved.
    Nanjing, China + Los Angeles, US

    yimaodesign@gmail.com