Women in the History of Computing Technology

"I still joke that there's nothing new under the sun, and bitmap graphics are like mosaics and needlepoint and other pseudo-digital art forms, all of which I had practiced before going to Apple. I didn't have any computer experience, but I had experience in graphic design."

Susan Kare

Few graphic designers have had such a great impact on the day-to-day lives of PC users as Susan Kare had. An artist herself and a true pioneer in the computing field, she is best known for creating most of the interface elements for the Apple Macintosh in the 1980s and becoming the original Creative Director of NeXT, the company which Steve Jobs forms after leaving Apple in 1985.

Susan Kare was born in Ithaca, New York in 1954. She receives her bachelor’s degree in Art from Mount Holyoke College in 1975 and her Ph.D. in the same discipline from New York University in 1978. Shortly after graduation she moves to San Francisco to work for a Fine Arts Museum as an Assistant Curator. Though, after talking to one of her old high school friends, Andy Hertzfeld (an original programmer of the Macintosh), in the early 1980s, she decides to quit her current job in favor of joining Apple Computer, Inc.

By the time Kare is hired by Apple, the company is developing the graphical user interface of its operating system, and needs a designer to work on its proportional fonts and icons. Hence, in 1982, Susan becomes its “Macintosh Artist” and joins the Macintosh software group there to design user interface graphics and fonts. Her artistic talent, on the other hand, helps her get a quick promotion and become a Creative Director in Apple Creative Services working exclusively for the Director of the organization, Tom Suiter.

A true pioneer of pixel art, Kare’s most known works from her time with Apple Computer include the Chicago typeface (the most common user interface typeface seen in Classic Macintosh operating systems), the Monaco typeface, the Geneva typeface, and the Happy Mac (the smiling computer that welcomes Mac users when starting their PCs for approximately 18 years, until Mac OS X 10.2 replaces it with a gray Apple logo).

When Steven Jobs leaves Apple in 1985 to found NeXT Computers in 1986, Susan joins him in the project and takes care of the management of the fledgling company’s graphic identity. Two years later, however, she starts working for its direct competitor, Microsoft, as they hire her to design the icons, buttons, and screen appearance for its Windows 3.0 OS. She is particularly famous for her design of the cards for the Solitaire game, which has been included as part of the Windows operating systems until these days. Following are a project for IBM (she produces icons and other interface elements for its OS/2) and other well-known companies in the computing branch. Beginning February 7, 2007 Susan has also designed icons for the “Gifts” feature of the popular social network Facebook.

Currently, Susan Kare is employed by Chumby Industries, working on the so-called Cumby device, an embedded computer that provides Internet and LAN access via a Wi-Fi connection and uses it to run various software widgets. Her professional success and significant achievements in the graphic design area serve as a source of inspiration for many young women working in today’s IT branch all over the world.

Sources

The information presented above is taken from the following online sources:

• -- Interview with Susan Kare (Making the Macintosh. Technology and Culture In Silicon Valley, Stanford University Library)
• -- Susan Kare (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia)
• -- Susan Kare (Susan Kare Official Website)