--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Instagram Debuts a New Look" id: "33297" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-instagram-debuts-a-new-look" published_at: "2016-05-12T18:48:05+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T16:06:31+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/05/12/thursday-buzz-instagram-debuts-a-new-look/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/05/12/thursday-buzz-instagram-debuts-a-new-look.md" excerpt: "Instagram's new logo got an instant reaction. Plus: Google launches a new mobile keyboard for iPhone users." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "rebranding" - "Social Media" - "Technology" - "UI Design" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Instagram Debuts a New Look Instagram, Facebook’s incredibly popular photo-sharing application, has launched a new user interface, [along with a fresh new logo (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/instagram/status/730433631689314304) . > Here’s the story behind our new design [https://t.co/xKcsgMqFOw (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/xKcsgMqFOw) > [pic.twitter.com/V6jXzBpuYj (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/V6jXzBpuYj) > > — Instagram (@instagram) [May 11, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/instagram/status/730433631689314304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) “The evolution of the community has been inspiring, and we hope that we’ve captured some of the life, creativity, and optimism people bring to Instagram every day,” Instagram’s head of design, Ian Spalter, [wrote of the new logo in a Medium post on Wednesday (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/@ianspalter/designing-a-new-look-for-instagram-inspired-by-the-community-84530eb355e3#.ozx5x85tk) . Getting to the final result wasn’t easy. The design team made almost 300 different versions of a new logo. “The most difficult part was once you decide to move on from a beloved icon, how far do you go?” Spalter [said to Fast Company (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcodesign.com/3059740/an-exclusive-look-at-instagrams-new-app-icon) . “A lot of the process was figuring what to keep and let go. Are you evolving far enough or not enough, so that you’ll just end up revisiting it in a year?” Die-hard Instagram users [took to the internet (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/technology/the-great-instagram-logo-freakout-of-2016.html?_r=0) to share their strong opinions on the logo change. Designers [chimed in (opens in a new tab)](http://www.creativebloq.com/logos/designers-react-new-instagram-logo-51620317) as well. Others played around with the design and Instagram-ed [their #myinstagramlogo versions (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.instagram.com/post/144221219437/160511-myinstagramlogo) . The app stands by its new look, which is also reflected in the network’s companion apps Boomerang, Hyperlapse, and Layout. “The simpler design puts more focus on your photos and videos without changing how you navigate the app,” the company [said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.instagram.com/post/144198429587/160511-a-new-look) . “Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become.” One other change that could prove controversial: The app’s new user interface now shows the filter-editing screen in white. Professional photographers often prefer black, but the white screen matches the background on Instagram’s home photo feed. As a result, the new setting could be friendlier for heavy Instagrammers who aren’t pros. ### A New Way to Type > Google has a new keyboard…for iPhone. And it’s really useful: [https://t.co/tGIXPxM9DH (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/tGIXPxM9DH) > [pic.twitter.com/NJMA23g7GR (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/NJMA23g7GR) > > — Lifehacker (@lifehacker) [May 15, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/lifehacker/status/731665454545154048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Google wants to win the mobile keyboard game.** The firm [just launched Gboard (opens in a new tab)](https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/gboard-search-gifs-emojis-keyboard.html) for its biggest competitor, Apple’s iPhone. It boasts Google search, GIF sharing, “glide typing” (which works much like [Swype (opens in a new tab)](http://www.swype.com/) ), images, emojis, and embedded address links. Yes, it includes all of those features. ### What Else? **Ever wonder what other people are doing behind their laptops at a café?** Tristan de Montebello and Andrew Parr asked several people what they were working on at a California café and [shared what they learned (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/life-learning/what-are-people-working-on-in-coffee-shops-cdf351e28b6) . **Building a community is tough.** SCD Group’s Steve Drake uses theories of tribes—citing Seth Godin’s research and the political campaigns of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders—to [make a case for associations (opens in a new tab)](http://www.scdgroup.net/2016/05/what-are-your-associations-tribes.html) to build tribe-like communities. **Are brands your friends?** It’s a question only applicable in the 21st century—and Walt Mossberg [wrote about the conundrum (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/11/11653456/walt-mossberg-brands-on-social-media-facebook) in his newest *Verge* column. (Instagram) [Patrick deHahn](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-dehahn/) Patrick deHahn is a contributor to Associations Now. 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