{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Where Brands Get Their Edge","title":"Instagram's New Logo: Aesthetically Fine, Strategically Confused","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":416,"description":"Instagram changed its wordmark, and the loudest complaint isn't that it's ugly — it's that it doesn't look like it says Instagram.\nBorzou and Amanda judge the new mark on aesthetic and strategy separately, and land in a place neither of them expected: it's a wash. Not bad. Not great. Which, for a logo, might be the most damning verdict of all.\nThe more interesting problem is the one underneath it. Instagram stopped being a photo app years ago. When the old camera icon became the gradient in 2016, the script never changed with it — so the wordmark and the icon spent a decade not matching. The new mark is an attempt to finally reconcile them, and it almost gets there.\nThey cover:\nWhy a logo that \"reads like a different word\" is a real problem, not a nitpick\nThe mismatched-letterforms issue — when custom type stops feeling like one typeface\nJudging aesthetic vs. judging strategy, and why the answers can disagree\nThe 2016 icon change that created a decade-long mismatch\nOwnability: was the old script actually less ownable? (Probably not)\nWhen you're big enough that legibility stops mattering — and whether that's a license or a trap\nThe rebrand nobody asked for, and the case for leaving a working mark alone\nWhy NickelBronx had to abandon its own X icon after Twitter's rebrand — and why fighting it wasn't economically realistic\nShould we redesign it ourselves? Comment and tag us — if enough of you want it, it moves up the list.\nConnect with us\nBorzou: @bronxzou · LinkedIn\nAmanda: LinkedIn\nShow page: nickelbronx.com/where-brands-get-their-edge\nThis episode is brought to you by NickelBronx.\nThanks for tuning in to Where Brands Get Their Edge, brought to you by NickelBronx.\nIf you enjoyed today's episode, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a review — it helps other brand builders like you discover the show.\nWant more insights? Visit nickelbronx.com for brand strategy tips and tools to help your business stand out.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q0YDzYhdl1Dr8BMlHpRqCxtl1XYWWQsueYkd9mlnxUM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82NDU2/OWZiNTFiZTY0MDM3/NjYyYTlhNTFhNWRj/NzM4MC5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}