Case Study: Instagram

Instagram's 2016 Icon

1. 
   
2. Subject Overview
3. Instagram, launched in 2010, quickly became one of the biggest photo-sharing apps.
4. Its original logo (a skeuomorphic camera) mirrored the app’s focus on photography.
5. In 2016, Instagram had evolved into a platform for video, stories, messaging, and creative content, leading the company to refresh its brand identity. Some of us remember the days when Instagram didn't have all of those things.
   
   
   The 2016 Icon Redesign:
6. Instagram replaced its camera icon with a minimalistic, gradient-filled icon representing a simplified camera outline against a vibrant sunset-style background. This major visual change was part of a full app redesign and branding across Instagram, Boomerang, and Layout.

 Objectives

 - Modernize the visual identity

- Appeal to a broader, global audience. 

- Align brand identity with evolving user behavior centered on stories and mobile content.

Storytelling Through Design

Instagram's redesign embodied  evolution in both function and form: 

- Character: Instagram as a maturing brand.

 - Setting: A digital world embracing minimal/modern, flat design. 

- Conflict: User outrage due to attachment to the old icon. 

- Emotion: Backlash reflected fear of change. 

- Resolution: The new icon was ultimately accepted and embraced.

Media Used 

App stores, Press and Social Media Platforms, and Product Interface. 

Results

 - Initial backlash with over 1 million tweets in 24 hours. 

- Users adapted quickly, and the design was widely accepted. 

- The icon became a recognizable symbol of Instagram's new identity

What I Learned

 - Designs evoke emotional attachment, especially iconic ones. 

- Controversy can fade if changes support product evolution.

 - Storytelling exists in logos, interfaces, and colors. 

- Designers must balance innovation with empathy for users.

When having a relationship with your viewer and the connection is strong, it can be a rough reaction to big change. People rely on routine and consistency so when you go to rebrand and change something everyone is so used to there will be backlash, but depending on that users connection to you product or service will determine weather they stick around for the change or walk away. And when making these changes, make sure you are enhancing your user experience and not taking away from things that they came to your product or service for.