When Instagram wanted to create a unified motion system following their visual refresh, they turned to Rotterdam-based motion specialists Studio Dumbar/DEPT®.
Creative Director Liza Enebeis and Lead Designer Stan Haanappel share the ten creative building blocks behind bringing human imperfection to one of tech's most polished brands.
After Instagram completed their visual refresh with 2X4, they asked us to collaborate with their in-house team on creating a motion system. The challenge was clear: we needed to develop guidelines that would highlight differentiation whilst ensuring consistency.
Creating a system that would work across both marketing and product was complex. We had to develop something that anyone creating motion in the future could work with, regardless of their technical ability.
Our breakthrough came from watching how people actually use Instagram. The way someone scrolls, erases text, corrects typos or places images in stories – none of these movements are perfectly smooth. Real user behaviour became our inspiration.
Over the year-long project, we developed everything around human imperfection. Rather than pursuing stylised, smooth motion, we embraced the organic movements of a hand holding a phone. This authenticity became central to the entire system.
We established core motion techniques and physics that would form Instagram's animation language. This gave their teams a consistent approach they could apply across all brand elements.
The system touched everything – from logo animations to typographic movements, gradient transitions and UI micro-interactions. Our goal was to create unified motion principles that would work whether you were seeing Instagram in marketing or experiencing small animations in the product.
Understanding that different teams would use these guidelines, we built flexibility into the system. It needed to work for designers of varying abilities while still protecting Instagram's brand consistency.
The motion system bridged the gap between product and marketing design. By connecting every aspect back to one core system, we ensured a seamless brand experience across all touchpoints.
This project reinforced how modern branding must expand beyond static guidelines. Today's brands live on digital platforms, making motion and sound systems essential brand elements.
We achieved what we set out to do – create an intuitive system that provides consistency without feeling restrictive. It gives Instagram's teams the framework they need while still allowing creative freedom within those parameters.
Interview by Laura Havlin, a creative strategist and content leader with expertise in building cultural brands at D&AD, Magnum Photos, and NOWNESS.