From millimeter paper to Mac icon: the story of Susan Kare's design

Susan Kare, a 72-year-old graphic designer whose work has become deeply embedded in the visual language of Apple products, recently shared insights into her early career during a talk hosted by Y Combinator. Her designs, including the iconic Macintosh icons and mouse interface elements, have left a lasting imprint on the company’s design philosophy. The session, available on YouTube, offered a detailed look at how she created some of the earliest graphical user interface components under extremely constrained technical conditions. Kare initially had no connection to the technology world. She was introduced to the Mac through a call from her friend Andy Hertzfeld, a Mac system programmer. At the time, Apple was seeking someone to create the initial graphical elements for its computer systems, something that would later become foundational to modern computing. The constraints were severe: early icons were limited to just 16 × 16 pixels, with later versions expanding to 32 × 32 pixels. Color was also restricted, forcing designers to rely solely on monochrome imagery. To meet these challenges, Kare crafted her icon designs by hand on millimeter paper, a method she described in her talk. These sketches were then translated into digital form using a custom-built icon editor developed by Hertzfeld. This tool functioned bit-by-bit, generating hex codes directly from the hand-drawn images. The process was both innovative and labor-intensive, reflecting the resource limitations of the era. During her tenure at Apple, Kare contributed significantly to the development of key graphical elements. One of her most recognizable creations is the “Happy Mac” icon, a cheerful face that became synonymous with the Mac operating system. This design followed principles later articulated by comic theorist Scott McCloud, who argued that minimalism enhances recognition and understanding. However, this approach also led to unintended consequences. For example, the bomb symbol used to indicate a system crash caused confusion among users, leading one to believe their computer might explode. Kare also played a role in developing several typefaces that became integral to Apple’s design identity. Among them were “Chicago,” which was later used on the first iPod, and “New York” and “Geneva.” These fonts were influenced by Steve Jobs, who insisted that they should reflect global cities rather than local ones. Additionally, she designed “San Francisco,” though it was distinct from the current standard font used by Apple today. Her influence extended beyond Apple. Kare was instrumental in creating the first color versions of Windows 3.0 icons for Microsoft and worked as a creative director at Steve Jobs’ company NeXT. She also contributed to early versions of Facebook and Pinterest, and even helped shape the appearance of playing cards in Microsoft Solitaire. An unexpected moment of recognition came when Kare encountered the CMD key symbol in Sweden. There, the cloverleaf emblem is used to identify tourist attractions, derived from the layout of the Borgholm castle. Initially, Kare considered using the Apple logo, but Steve Jobs deemed it too common and legally problematic. As a result, she sought an alternative and discovered inspiration in a book, ultimately leading to the creation of the cloverleaf symbol. Kare’s journey from hand-drawn icons to influential design contributions continues to resonate within the tech industry, highlighting the enduring impact of early graphical design on modern computing.