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Instagram made some major changes last week, with the most noticeable change being the logo. Many people I know (myself included) didn’t care, but the ones that did were more than vocal about how much they disliked it. The old logo was iconic and was what everyone was used to. And by everyone, I mean the millennials who have been avid users of Instagram since its 2010 launch.
What these millennials may not realize is that it is no longer just about us. Instagram is saturated with millennial accounts. It needs a new target demographic in order to grow and expand. It needs new users to influence and be influenced. It needs users who are just discovering brands and forming opinions about them. It needs users who are active even during “work hours”. It needs Generation Z.
Raw brownie and naturally colored cashew frosting
There is a whole generation of people younger than us who are not yet, but have the potential to become, Instagram users. Many of those in Gen Z are just now old enough to create Instagram accounts (minimum age is 13). And many of them like bright colors, colorful products, and frankly, Lisa Frank.
Teenagers, girls in particular, wield a high purchasing power. Brands know this. They know they need to appeal to these potential customers. Instagram knows this. And the new Instagram logo embodies this. Without these new users on Instagram, brands on the app would not have new consumers to advertise to. And without brands advertising on Instagram, the app would not be generating revenue. Gen Z is more important to the digital landscape now than ever.
Stack of colorful raw brownies.
Remove from your head what you know about Instagram, and look at the old and new logos side by side. The old logo isn’t flat like modern logos are. It doesn’t have vibrant colors like modern logos do. The old logo doesn’t feel up to date. It feels like the retro filters that were popular on Instagram in 2011 but are now rarely used in 2016.
Like it or not, the Instagram logo change needed to happen. Can you remember the last time you liked or posted a photo with a faded, muted, old-timey filter? Two years ago, maybe three? The popular photos now are those with higher exposure and more intense color. Gone are the days of “1977”. The new Instagram logo reflects this change and is here to stay…for now anyway.
This is a recipe for raw, no bake, vegan brownies made with almonds, walnuts, dates, and cocoa powder. The texture is similar to a fudge brownie with pieces of nuts in each bite. The frosting is made with cashews and is colored using mango puree, carrot puree, red pitaya puree, and blueberry puree. The raw brownie is decorated to resemble Instagram’s 2016 logo.
- 1 cup raw unsalted almonds
- 1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
- 1¼ cup Medjool dates – pitted and diced
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla powder (optional)
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup coconut oil – melted
- 3 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp mango puree
- Pinch of turmeric powder (optional)
- 2 tsp carrot puree
- 2 tsp blueberry puree
- A few drops of red cabbage juice (optional)
- 2 tsp coconut cream
- Put almonds and walnuts into a bowl with 3 cups warm water and 2 tsp sea salt.
- Put cashews into another bowl with 2 cups warm water and 1 tsp sea salt.
- Soak the nuts for 12 hours the night before.
- After soaking, drain the water from each bowl and rinse the nuts a few times in their respective bowls.
- Pulse the almonds and walnuts in a high speed blender or food processor until they become crumbs.
- In a large bowl, mix the almond/walnut crumbs with the rest of the raw brownie ingredients using your hands. Form the raw brownie dough into a ball.
- Place the brownie dough into an 8 x 8 in (20 cm) square baking pan lined with parchment paper. Press the raw brownie into the pan until it forms a square.
- Lift the parchment paper and brownie out of the pan. Place a flat serving dish over the raw brownie. Carefully flip the brownie and serving dish so that the brownie is on top and the dish is on the bottom. Peel away the parchment paper from the brownie.
- Press and pinch the brownie to fix any cracks that may have formed around the edges. Round out the corners of the brownie.
- Melt the coconut oil in a bain marie.
- Pulse the cashews in a high speed blender or food processor until it becomes creamy.
- Add the maple syrup and coconut oil to the blender/food processor. Blend until the frosting is smooth without any cashew pieces.
- Mix the cashew frosting with each fruit/vegetable puree in separate bowls, according to the instructions below. Cashew frosting to puree ratio 3:1 (ex, 3 tsp: 1 tsp).
- Mix 1 tsp mango puree with 3 tsp (1 tbsp) cashew frosting. Optional: add a pinch of turmeric for a brighter yellow.
- Mix 2 tsp carrot puree with 6 tsp (2 tbsp) cashew frosting.
- Mix 3 tsp red dragon fruit puree with 9 tsp (3 tbsp) cashew frosting.
- Mix 2 tsp blueberry puree with 6 tsp (2 tbsp) cashew frosting. Optional: add a few drops of red cabbage juice for a deeper purple.
- Mix 2 tsp coconut cream with 6 tsp (2 tbsp) cashew frosting.
- Remove the frozen puree from the tray and store in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags.
- Spread the yellow frosting in a semicircle shape along the bottom left edge of the brownie. Add the orange above the yellow, then pink above the orange, and purple above the pink.
- Place the white frosting into a piping bag. Pipe a square border onto the brownie with a 2 inch margin from the edge of the brownie. Pipe a circle at the center of the square. Then pipe a dot at the top right corner between the circle and the border.
- Enjoy!
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