Susan Kare is a pioneering and influential computer graphic designer located in San Francisco, California. Since 1983, Kare has designed thousands of icons for the world’s leading companies. Her minimalist grid of pixels, constructed with mosaic-like precision, communicates the function of the icons immediately and memorably, with wit and style.
Kare began her career at Apple, Inc., where she served as the screen graphics and digital font designer for the original Macintosh computer, which was initially advertised as “the computer for the rest of us.” Her studio continues to optimize for clarity and simplicity, whether for icons, corporate identities, web design, or murals, and to present concepts in clear, concise, and memorable ways.
For Kare, good icons should be more like traffic signs than illustrations, easily comprehensible and not laden with extraneous detail. She believes that just because millions of colors are available, maximizing their use in an icon does not necessarily improve it. When symbols (icons or logos) are meaningful and well-crafted, they need not be frequently redesigned.
Kare received MA and Ph.D. degrees in fine art from New York University. Besides her interest in art and design, she is an avid surfer, runner, and Australian shepherd fan. Kare creates limited edition fine art prints available at kareprints.com and is also available as a speaker. Susan Kare Graphic Design, located in San Francisco, California, welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on icon sets, corporate identity, or other design projects.
