Fun illustrations track Apple's top products through the last 5 decades

Tomorrow is Apple's 50th anniversary, and to celebrate, the folk at 99designs have collaborated with freelance designers from five countries, asking them to illustrate their favourite Apple product in the visual style of the era it launched, paired with a personal memory or milestone from their career.

The illustrations contrast with Apple's famously minimal brand look and feel, and this visual tribute to the last five decades is quite expressive and maximalist. Would Steve Jobs be proud? We'll never know...

Here, we take a closer look at these seven illustrations, which range from depictions of the iPod Shuffle to the beloved iMac and beyond.

For more on the latest of Apple's offerings, see our reviews of the MacBook Pro (M5 Max) and the MacBook Neo. As well as our rallying cry for Apple to bring back the iPod.

Makuta creative's nostalgic illustration spans multiple eras of Apple kit. Makuta doesn't actually own all of the hardware depicted, but each one represents the creative future they're working towards.

“Two years ago, I purchased an iPad using very limited savings, and since then it has become my primary tool, sustaining my motivation to experiment and grow," says Makuta.

The launch of the Macintosh in 1984 changed the world, and this is captured in Digital Man's illustration, which with its bold patterns, riffs on Memphis design. The colour palette, however, is closer to a '70s vibe, referring to the world that the Macintosh was pushing people away from.

A few years later, things got even more exciting with the launch of the iMac in 1988. This one was blue and round and introduced the 'i' prefix that Apple is still using today.

TikaDesign's illustration goes full on '80s/'90s with its bright colours and patterns. TikaDesign began using an iMac and continues to do so today, so this one feels especially personal for them.

The iPod Shuffle was one of Apple's cult items. Had one and you were a convert, if you didn't have one, you either wanted one or wondered what all the fuss was about.

For Sergey Goldshtain, who received an iPod Shuffle when he was a 16-year-old breakdancer, his new toy helped with creative inspiration. "While listening to music, ideas for new movements and combinations would start forming in my head long before I reached the studio."

This illustration of the iPod Shuffle perfectly encapsulates the swagger of owning one, along with the bold colours of the time.

The iPod Nano was released in 2005 amongst the hot mess of Y2K aesthetics.

"It was minimalistic design to the core, an authoritative statement of its era, as if saying 'this is what futuristic looks like'. It was like alien technology," says BINATANG, who created this illustration.

Here, the Nano floats at the centre of a cluttered Y2K universe, full of album cover references from the time. The Nano stands out like the beacon it was at the time.

While the iPad was controversial when it came out, and some people questioned its usefulness, for others, it was love at first sight. Illia Kolesnyk knew the iPad was for him the moment he saw one in store and spent hours drawing on Procreate right there and then.

He eventually bought one and it transformed his process: “New applications, 3D programs – it’s how I began to create illustrations. I took it on trips and vacations,” he says.

His illustration captures that feeling of being able to take the iPad anywhere, with a tropical jungle scene spilling over the screen. The flat vector style is a nod to the flat designed that was typical in the 2010s when the iPad Pro came out.

While the rest of the illustrations here reflect technology that comes with a screen (except of course the iPod Shuffle), the AirPods were different.

For Paula Ambrosio, they became very important. "I made the AirPods super-huge to highlight the significant impact they have had on my life," she says. "I genuinely love them! Those who love to dance around the house can definitely relate to this feeling."

Her design reflects this, with the AirPods blown up and a person dancing on top of them, perhaps representing that on top of the world feeling Paula has when using them.

“There’s a reason Apple products have long been the industry standard for designers," says 99designs by Vista CEO, Patrick Llewellyn. "For 50 years, its design philosophy has delivered powerful, intuitive tools that have shaped how designers work, experiment and bring ideas to life.

"And this project with our global community shows just how personal the relationship between a designer and their tools can be. Whether it’s the iPad someone sketched their first logo commission on or an iPod that soundtracked late-night design sessions. These devices often become an integral part of the creative journeys they help unlock."

For more on Apple, see Apple's top 100 products.