With 2020 marking its 10 years, Instagram set out to build its first ever fully realized brand design system. As a brand, Instagram has always thrived and progressed its identity incrementally, but never paused to evaluate its place in the media landscape. 

Two years of discovery, global research and global alignment with a mix of rigor and strategy, the focus became clear— Instagram is the champion of Emerging Culture. But that was just the first step. In order to bring our positioning to life, we needed to update the brand expression and get down to a visual message— democratizing creativity. This new system embodies that notion and is taking a beloved brand into an iconic space that stands the test of time. 

This evolution solidifies the brand purpose by taking some of the most recognizable elements and positioning them in a timeless space that navigates UX and UI, marketing, experiential and brand design, as well as standing out uniquely amongst our peers.

The idea is simple — Emerging Culture begins with a creative SPARK. 

We have:

• Created a unique and ownable global typeface: Instagram Sans

• Brought renewed vibrancy & purpose to our gradient and color palette

• Established layout principles

• Defined our brand voice and creative persona: Courageous Creator

• New image principles to help capture content and celebrate creators

Just as our community is constantly evolving and becoming ever more global, so should Instagram. This refreshed brand identity puts content and creativity first— affirming Instagram’s role as the place to constantly explore, share and push culture forward.

This work was created internally at Instagram with custom typography collaboration by Colophon and design partnership with 2x4.