SUSAN KARE

Susan Kare User Interface Graphics is a digital design practice in San Francisco, California. According to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Susan Kare is “a pioneering and influential computer iconographer. Since 1983, Kare has designed thousands of icons for the world’s leading software companies. Utilizing a minimalist grid of pixels and constructed with mosaic-like precision, her icons communicate their function immediately and memorably, with wit and style.” She began her career at Apple, Inc. as the screen graphics and digital font designer for the original Macintosh computer, initially advertised as the “computer for the rest of us.” Her studio’s work has continued to optimize for clarity and simplicity and to present concepts in clear, concise, and memorable ways. Kare believes that good icons should be more like road signs than illustrations, easily comprehensible, and not cluttered with extraneous detail. She often observes that just because millions of colors are available, every one need not be used in every icon, and that when icons are meaningful and well crafted, they need not be frequently redesigned. Recent work includes design elements for web sites, software, and hand held devices; particularly graphics for screens with limited real estate. Susan graduated from Mount Holyoke College and received MA and Ph.D. degrees from New York University. An avid surfer and skier, she lives in California with her husband, three sons, and Australian Shepherd. www.kare.com