Instagram Made a New Logo and I (finally) Signed Up!
I’ve never had an Instagram account before. I thought the idea of mediocre, square photos with a nostalgic filter applied was gimmicky, a cheap trend, another bandwagon. I resisted yet another social media platform simply because I didn’t want another login to another time waster.
While to some extent I still think these things, I’m beginning to think about downloading the app and signing up. I’ve been seeing some media coverage since they re-branded, updating their app icon and UI. These brand changes are not the reason I’m reconsidering, at least not directly, although the new icon does seem to signify a move away from a focus on nostalgic filters. Because of these changes, I’ve been observing some of the response in blogs I read and people I follow on Twitter. Some of their reaction includes discussion of what Instagram has become.
This should have been obvious to me: they have changed over time. Of course they have changed. Of course Instagram wouldn’t continue to be this popular or relevant if they hadn’t evolved to remain interesting to users. Of course their (relative) longevity
This shows to me the effect a redesign can have. The new design was not especially compelling to me, and it didn’t have to be. It simply had to stir conversation among users across the web. And because users like Instagram (despite predictable arguing and mockery over the new design — some people hate change) the conversation was generally positive.
Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean I’ll embrace Instagram. I’ve merely been convinced enough to create an account and try it for myself. Follow me (I literally created the account minutes ago, midway through writing this post), but I can’t promise I’ll be a very active user or that I won’t delete the app in a week/month/year from now.