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The New Instagram Logo And Font Are Dividing The Internet

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Phil Lam X

Just last week, Instagram users noticed that the app icon had randomly become a lot brighter. Well, now we know why – it’s all part of Instagram’s biggest rebrand in years. But it seems the internet is torn over the platform’s new look.

Meta-owned Instagram has revealed a new visual identity comprising of a brand new bespoke typeface, and the aforementioned brighter logo. Perhaps the most notable change is the new wordmark, now rendered in the ‘Instagram Sans’ typeface.

Instagram says the refresh is designed to help the platform “create more immersive and inclusive experiences.” In a blog post, the company breaks the rebrand down into three core areas:

The gradient is reimagined with “vibrant colours to make it feel illuminated and alive, and to signal moments of discovery”.
The new typeface, Instagram Sans, is “designed with Instagram’s heritage in mind and includes multiple global scripts.”
The new layout and design system is “content-forward and celebrates creativity, simplicity and self-expression.”

We’ve already seen the tweaked icon (designed by Rose Pilkington), which appears to be blinding some users. But now we’ve been given a much more comprehensive look at the new brand identity. ‘Instagram Sans‘ is a fun new typeface based around what Instagram “lovingly” calls the “squircle” – the rounded square of its logo. The typeface is also available to use in Stories and Reels.

But the most noticeable use of the typeface is in the brand new wordmark (above). Replacing the ‘handwritten’ style that’s been around for as long as Instagram, the new wordmark is a much more contemporary affair – and considering how long we’ve had to look at the last one, Daniel Piper’s a fan.

But over on that other social media platform, reactions are mixed. Yes, Twitter is, as Twitter does, making its feelings known about the new look, and the responses range from really loving it to really not loving it.

And responses to the new icon have been doing the rounds for a few days now. “I’m going to have to reduce my screen brightness for that,” one Twitter user complains, while another adds, “New Instagram icon is way over-saturated. Gross.” And lots have users have shared screen recordings of iOS seeming to struggle with the new icon – when closing the app, the icon appears to judder between the old and new design.

Source: Creative Bloq

Monotype Forecasts 2022 Type Trends—A Swirl Of Old, Modern, And Virtual

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Phil Lam X

The fever dream of the past year has spawned a great deal of rebellion from creatives, who are now coloring outside the lines as restrictions begin to lift. Recent months have also seen the inception of the metaverse and the unlatching of the blockchain.

It thus comes as no surprise that typography trends for 2022 are more dynamic than ever. Rounded up by font foundry Monotype, the report reveals that designers and brands aren’t just communicating their individuality but also slowly assimilating into unfamiliar virtual environments.

The list of 10 trends includes Neue Nouveau, where the legibility usually found in organic lines is challenged with flowy and psychedelic silhouettes; Svelte Serifs, old-style serifs made even lighter for a more sophisticated feel; Mix-Up, a mish-mash of type styles that “turn diversity into unity”; and Flux, hyper-kinetic, sometimes variable, fonts that always seem to be on the move. Not to mention, there’s NF-Type, a sign of the times questioning the transition of fonts into decentralized platforms.

To illustrate the report, Monotype brought in real, published examples created by the global design community. “This is not our work, but it’s great work,” the foundry’s Creative Type Director Charles Nix emphasizes.

“This year, we explicitly sought to connect these trends to the times in which we are living. That is, the environment, the pandemic, the warpage of time, the rapid adoption of digital everything, social media as a vehicle for social change, nostalgia, questioning truth, diversity and unity, and of course, care for the self. The result is a celebration of the type industry as a whole, the art and the science that both reflects and contributes to driving our culture.”

Source: DesignTAXI

Days after being accused of stealing black culture, newly-opened Colorado bubble tea shop Trap Tea finds themselves in hot water again with LA-based culinary titan Trap Kitchen over font use & traphouse illustration

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Phil Lam X