New Instagram Icon
The skeuomorphic camera icon that has accompanied Instagram until today is a modern-day classic. Not because it’s good — it’s not, really — but because of its omnipresence in users’ phone screens. I bet it’s on the home screen of 99% of people who have the app and who tap it very regularly. When the iPhone first came out — if you’ll remember — skeuomorphism was the default aesthetic and now, for better or worse, it’s all about flat design with a dash of optional gradients so it’s no surprise that’s where Instagram has headed. If there was any surprise it’s that Instagram held on to the skeuomorphism for a relatively long five years.
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About 75% of the negative reaction will be simply to the fact that it has changed and the other 25% will be to the not-quite-fact that there is a generic aesthetic to the new icon where it could be a “camera” icon for the upcoming smart microwave from Apple or whatever other user interface you would imagine. This is not to say it’s a bad-looking icon, no… as far as camera icons go, this is quite lovely and has the minimal amount of elements necessary to be recognized as a camera BUT not the minimal amount of elements necessary to be recognized as Instagram.
It’s interesting to compare with this hypothetical flattening of the old icon.
Update (2016-05-12): See also: John Gruber, Nick Heer, Dan Counsell.
Update (2016-05-18): See also: Eli Schiff.
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I have zero strong feelings on the new icon. Due to its placement on my second home screen, it goes really well with Instaflash Pro's newly flattened icon.
I really dig the hypothetical flattening of the old one you linked to above.
