Instagram is quietly testing a black-and-white design for its app

Spotted recently by Instagram user Anton Abramov among others, the new look strips all the color out of the app’s interface – in other words, the various shades of blue – replacing it with black, white, and various shades of gray.

The icons along the bottom of the display have been given a subtle makeover, too, suggesting the team is moving toward rolling out subtle changes to its cross-platform app.

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By going monochromatic, it seems the designers are looking to fade the interface further into the background, giving all the attention to the images and removing any potential for color clashes.

While it’s fair to say that the new look may never see the light of day, Instagram did at least confirm it’s trying out the new design. “We often test new experiences with a small percentage of the global community,” a spokesperson for the Facebook-owned company told The Verge, adding, “This is a design test only.”

It’s possible Instagram could simply introduce the monochromatic look as an option, one that could prove popular with Instagrammers whose feeds are filled mainly with work from black-and-white shooters.

While such a change would certainly be one of the less controversial developments in Instagram’s history, the fact that it’s even testing a new design at least reveals it is interested in shaking up the interface, even if the changes are subtle. As for the app’s old-fashioned skeuomorphic icon, surely Instagram won’t be tinkering with that anytime soon….