Instagram first launched in October 2010, but it never appeared to be the kind of startup that would be acquired for $1 billion.

“We were all like, ‘what’s the big deal? It’s just photos and filters,” Brian Blau, a Research Director with the Consumer Technology and Markets Group at Gartner says.

Perhaps its the simplicity. Or perhaps its the database of social network they have.

In its first week, the app gained 200,000 users. And by February, it had 1.75 million. Three months later it hit the 4 million mark.

When Facebook acquired the startup on Monday, they had been downloaded 30 million times already. Its 6 day old Android app has already hit the 5 million mark.

Facebook acquired Instagram just as the startup was closing a round of funding at a $500 million valuation. Instagram’s $1 billion price tag means it literally doubled its valuation within a week.

Designers at Visually have compiled an infographic that documents the startup’s journey from photo app to $1 billion startup using, appropriately, Instagram photos. Check it out below: