The woman who gave the macintosh a smile the new yorker. Dec 07, 2011 the lone artist behinds apples powerful user interface proves that theres more to a painter than her canvas. Gere kavanaugh, will be published by princeton architectural press in 2019. Susan kare has had a major influence on graphical user interfaces, and is a big inspiration to any artist or designer who grew up in the age of pixelated icons. Susan kares icons and fonts for the original macintosh were revolutionary. Kare told cnet that she had always enjoyed mosaics and needlepoint, which are analogous to working in pixels. Kare designed, amongst other things, the fonts and icons for the original macintosh, the icons for windows 3. Susan kare began her career at apple, as the screen graphics and digital font designer for the original macintosh computer and was also one of the original employees of next working as its creative director. Dec 26, 2011 millions of people around the world are familiar with the artwork of susan kare, but few would be able to connect that name with apples early computer icons.
Eventually hertzfeld coded an icon editor that allowed kare to design icons directly on the black and white screen of a prototype mac. A zoomedin view allows the reader to see how many icons are crafted pixel by pixel and notes by the artist accompany selected images. Susan kares early mac icons gave computers a personality. Macs beg to be networked back when the mac was launched, computer networking was exotic and pricey. Susan kare san francisco designer with a highly developed ability to work creatively with a small number of pixels. The popular social networking site, facebook requested her to design the gift icon for their site in 2007. This book provides a curated look at 80 of susan kare s favorite icons created between 1983 and 2011. Outlines the history of pictograms and icons and how they have been applied in commercial and creative fields over the past century. Along the way, i talk to icon designers such as susan kare, david lanham and gedeon maheux of the iconfactory and many more about their process behind well known icons. The persistence of that disk icon into the age of flash drives and cloud storage is a sign of its power. A zoomedin view allows the reader to see how many icons. Kare was one of six initial apple employees to leave for jobs new computing venture in 1985. There are only a few books written about icons two of these were released recently.
The happy mac is alive and well in icon designer susan kares new book. Iconic visionaries of design susan kare charting ahead. An indispensable sourcebook for designers everywhere, a keystone for nonverbal communication. I got my start working on the macintosh computer, the first one, in the early eighties for apple. Susan kare s icons book 2011 which is mostly inspirational and rockstar icon designer 2011 which is for the dedicated icon designer who wants to improve her skills. The pixels effect on icon design is vividly perceptible when admiring susan kare s sketches for the original macintosh interface. View essay susan kare from technology it205 at university of phoenix. Facebook donates proceeds from gift giving to charitable organizations. Mar 08, 2018 but the stories of far too many of the women who drove innovation in the 19th, 20th, and into the 21st centuries these key technological architects of modern life have long gone unheard.
Shes releasing her selfpublished book, susan kare icons, on nov. New book celebrates maker of macs iconic icons cnet. It was my first pen to paper thinking about how do you create symbols using a small number of monochromatic pixels. Susan kare susan kare is a legendary apple designer known. Turned icons into art since mac was the first computer with a gui, it was the first to have icons. How susan kare designed userfriendly icons for the first macintosh the graphic designer is receiving a lifetime achievement award from cooper hewitt for her recognizable computer icons. Common icon badges, overview of drawing and creation tools and a comprehensive icon reference chart. Susan kare designed a version of that disk, as part of the suite of icons that made the macintosh revolutionarya computer that you could communicate with in pictures.
As creative director at apple from 1982 to 1985 she was largely responsible for the cute look n feel of the macintosh user interface, designing numerous icons and bitmap fonts for it. Im susan kare, graphic designer, and this is how i work. Susan kare is recognized for her bold and intelligent design of icons for the early macintosh. Her brother, jordi kare, is a wellknown physicist and engineer involved in research in the field of laser engines. Kare released a book in 2011 called susan kare icons featuring 80 designs she created from 1983 to the year of that book s publication, shown both in their natural, onscreen size, and. Icons, featuring 80 of her most popular icons created between 19832011.
The story behind susan kares iconic design work for apple. A zoomedin view allows the reader to see how many icons are crafted pixel by pixel and notes. She created a lot of elements of the interface of windows, macintosh, os 2. Happy mac, designed in the 1980s, is the bootup icon of apple macintosh computers with older versions of the mac operating system. Susan kare designed the distinctive icons, typefaces, and other graphic elements that gave the apple macintosh its characteristicand widely emulatedlook and feel. I have previously linked to these apple macintosh icon prints by susan kare kare prints on previous occasions blogs, but was reminded of them again as i came to find some prints for my studio. She was also one of the original employees of next the company formed by steve jobs after leaving apple in 1985, working as the creative director. Inside susan kares sketchbooks are the makings of macs graphic interfaces. Some of the icons displayed in gift section are also featured in mac os x. Susan kare s icons and fonts for the original macintosh were revolutionary.
Icons designed in 1982 for an interview at apple, courtesy of susan kare. Susan kare 20 x icon print by susan kare prints, available on wantful a collection of susan kare s 80 favorite computer icons created between 1983 and icons is a whimsical and fun book that should please any design nerd did you know she created many of the pixelated icons on the original macintosh. Susan kare is a legendary apple designer known as the mac pixel queen. Noted silicon valley iconographer launches new book susan. Susan kare has led a diverse career as a graphic designer, but her reputation is preceded by an early milestone. Kare s philosophy on icon design is simple, i believe that good icons are more akin to road signs rather than illustrations, and ideally should. Meet susan kare, the pioneer who created the macs original icons. Without susan kares openminded, exploratory approach to design. Apple macintosh icon prints by the original apple icon designer i have previously linked to these apple macintosh icon prints by susan kare kare prints on previous occasions blogs, but was reminded of them again as i came to find some prints for read more. See more ideas about user interface, pixel art and computer icon. Apr 05, 2011 celebrated computer iconographer susan kare is offering limitededition prints of her famous macintosh icons for the first time. Are there any books about how to design computer icons. Without susan kare s openminded, exploratory approach to design, our digital world might look a good deal less friendly.
On the inside, its signed by susan kare, and it features a forward by steve silberman. Susan kare designed the suite of icons that made the macintosh. Inside susan kares sketchbooks are the makings of macs graphic. There, she created some of the most recognizable icons, typefaces, and graphic elements in personal computing. Kare drew her 80s bitcon icons on graph paper first, using one square to represent one pixel. May 16, 2018 susan kare, creator of the icons on the original macintosh, testifies for apple at a trial to determine samsung patent infringement damages. Susan kares print and book set is a great gift for any. The book also features an introductory essay by steve silberman. Susan kare and louise sandhaus join our board of directors. Kare is an artist and designer and pioneer of pixel art. In the 7 x 7 book, it highlights 80 of susan kare s favorite icons that she has designed between the years 1983 to 2011. Free vector icons in svg, psd, png, eps and icon font.
I want to start with the question of how one goes from writing a dissertation on the use of caricature in 19th and 20th century sculpture, to working on computer icons. And these notebooks contain sketches that i brought to my interview. Susan kare has to be the all time master of icon design and was responsible for many icons including the macpaint interface fig 2. This is an interview with susan kare, september 8, 2000, at her home. This month susan kare was awarded an aiga medal, putting her in the company of design greats like paul rand, charles and ray eames, milton glaser and saul steinberg. Meet the woman who launched a billion clicks wired. Nowadays, susan kare is a very famous graphic artist and designer. Of all people, youre the one who would least need such a book, after all. How susan kare designed userfriendly icons for the first. They gave a lifeless computer a warmth and personality that lives on in the modern mac to this day. Susan kare prints signed and numbered limited edition prints. Susan kare, icons book unboxing by italiamac youtube. Mac icon designer susan kare explains the inspiration for her. Her designs for the original apple mac were friendly, whimsical, quirky, and soulful making a huge contribution to the emotional connection that many apple users formed with their mac, and enhancing the us.
Susan designed the icons for the macintoshs graphical user interface. We have focused more lately on contemporary designers and since a recent article had me focused on the year it all began, i thought it be interesting to examine the visionary icons of susan kare. Jon hicks the icon handbook is somewhere in the middle where he combines large images of the best icons made. Now this archive of sketches has been acquired by moma, jointly with san franciscos museum of modern art, and has gone on show as part of a new exhibition, this is. Susan kare walks us through some key points regarding the design of icons and symbols. Sep 17, 2018 in the early 1980s, karethen a sculptor and techworld outsiderpivoted to a graphic designer role at apple.
Apple macintosh icon prints by the original apple icon designer. According to susan kare, good icons should be more efficient like road signs rather than mere illustrations. See more ideas about pixel art, typography and icon design. San francisco, november 22, 2011 susan kare, the noted silicon valley interface designer, today launched a new book, susan kare. She was the founding partner of susan kare design, a graphic design practice in san francisco in 1989, and since then has designed thousands of icons for hundreds of clients along with many corporate identities and other design projects, from microsofts solitaire cards to facebooks virtual gifts. Susan kare, the noted silicon valley interface designer, today launched a new book, susan kare. Heres what the creator of the macintosh icons has to. There are dozens of gifts to choose from, all designed by susan kare, who created the icons for the original macintosh computer system.
Artist susan kare is offering original mac icons as limited. Susan kare is an artist and graphic designer best known for her interface elements and. Im a huge paul rand fan, and i think he always was one of the most articulate, excellent writers and designers. Susan kare designed the suite of icons that made the macintosh revolutionarya computer that you could communicate with in pictures. Susan kare is an artist and graphic designer who created many of the interface elements for the apple macintosh in the 1980s. Susan kare, iconic designer lemelson center for the. The book comprises a collection of original apple icons including. Graphic designer susan kare is the woman who gave the macintosh a smile. The bomb symbol is not used in mac os x, but a test application called bomb.
Susan kare born 1954 is an artist and graphic designer who created many of the interface elements for the apple macintosh in the 1980s. The macintosh icons were designed by the now legendary susan kare. She began as a designer, working with microsoft to design various icons for windows 3. In some book, someone said that the command key icon had come from a swedish manual. Susan kare, icons and fonts for apple macintosh, 1984. Books, book mark, opened book, address book, book shelf, text book, etc. Mac icon designer susan kare explains the inspiration for her designs. In the video below susan kare gives us some creative insights into her time at apple as their primary icon designer. Apr 04, 2014 as one of the original members of apples macintosh team, susan kare played an integral role in determining the look and feel for the original mac os. Susan kare icons takes a look back at the nearly 30year career of the designer who brought us the happy mac and helped us learn to love the personal computer. It has been a few months since our last installment of iconic visionaries. She is the designer of many typefaces, icons, and original marketing material for the original macintosh operating system. Sketches of the early apple logo icon, courtesy of susan kare icons designed in 1982 for an interview at apple, courtesy of susan kare happy mac, designed in the 1980s, is the bootup icon of apple macintosh computers with older versions of the mac operating system.
This icon appeared along with a chime tone and a dialog box that carried a notification. Download over 31,409 icons of book in svg, psd, png, eps format or as webfonts. How susan kare applied embroidery skills to create the. She began as a designer, working with microsoft to design various icons for. She created some of the worlds most recognisable icon art. That was a concept we struggled with, because that. Pdf macbook pro guide download full pdf book download. Mac icon designer susan kare explains the inspiration for. Susan kare, the brains behind the macs famous icons and. Interview with susan kare background and work before apple.
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