Instagram shows off its new look

Instagram‘s also updated the icons of their other editing apps Boomerang, Layout, and Hyperlapse to match the new aesthetic.

Instagram’s new design and icon took the app’s team of designers nine months to complete, according to Fast Company.

Instagram has released the updated app for both iOS and Android, it’s now available for download from the App Store and the Google Play Store. After all, the change is about making Instagram a better fit on every device and keeping the unified approach that makes people love connecting on Instagram and sharing their photo and video stories. The new icon still represents a camera but “unnecessary” elements have been removed to create a more flexible, scalable icon while retaining a sense of character.

As a part of the process of designing a new logo, the company asked people working at Instagram to draw the icon from memory in five seconds.

When you woke up this morning, you may have been shocked to find that the familiar camera-shaped Instagram logo had suddenly disappeared.

Additionally, Instagram has aligned the identities of each of its sister apps, Layout, Hyperlapse and Boomerang, using the same palette to colour each and unify the product family.

“When Instagram was founded, it was a place to easily edit and share photos”.

“You’ve inspired us to update our look by the way you’ve evolved”.

The rebooted brand identity, rolled out to users on Tuesday, embraces the flat logos, gradient colors and minimalist design ethos that had been embraced by Microsoft, Google and ultimately Apple, with the launch of iOS 7 in 2013.

The black-and-white design that leaked prior to today’s announcement makes the unveiling of a colourful new logo a bit surprising, however the contrast seems to be a calculated move by the social media giant. “We needed to figure out exactly what people loved about the classic icon, and start there”, explains the company. The activity and notifications icon also got a slight change, ditching the talk bubble and featuring only a heart.