Happy 25th Birthday, Illustrator!

When I was a computer newbie back in the day, using the Mac was about taking a leap of faith. You had to see past the shortcomings and focus on the potential, clear in mind that the technology would someday rise to the occasion.

And it did. When Adobe realeased Illustrator, it was the beginning of a revolution. Granted it was bit crappy and prone to crash daily. But if you were patient, and willing to be a little uncomfortable, it was worth it.

Using Illustrator’s Pen tool was almost as if someone had cut off your drawing hand and replaced it with a hook. And I don’t mean a cool, watch-me-impress-the-ladies hook. But I figured it out. And just when you thought it was all going to be one compromise after another, along comes the upgrade: Illustrator 88, the musch anticipated version 2. Illustrator 88 was the second release of Adobe’s first desktop application.

In honor of Illustrator’s 25th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to take a look back and remember just how revolutionary Illustrator was. Check out the promotional video that came in the software box on a VHS tape. It’s still a classic.