Susan Kare (born 1954) is famous for designing Apple's Macintosh interface elements, icons and typefaces in the 1980s, as well as a number of other pixel-based graphics for early computers.
Susan Kare at Apple, 1984.
She was one of the key figures in the PC usability revolution initiated by Steve Jobs at Apple. Kare is often referred to as “the woman who gave the Macintosh a smile,” for designing the original Happy Mac icon.
Command key symbol.
In 1984, Macintosh computer was issued with bitmap graphics and a Command-key symbol designed by Kare. She had taken the sign (looped square, or Saint Hannes cross) from a book of Swedish historical symbols. In 1990, Kare designed a card deck for Windows 3.0 Solitaire game. 25 years later, Areaware home accessories brand released an expanded card deck with two jokers, designed by Kare. Having spent three decades working in the tech space, in 2018 Kare was honored with an American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) medal. Previous winners include the likes of Paul Rand, and Charles and Ray Eames.
Solitaire Cards deck issued by areaware. © Areaware.
Icons designed by Susan Kare for Macintosh. © kareprints.com.
Through much of her career, Los Angeles-based graphic designer Lorraine Wild (born 1953) has specialized in books, particularly collaborations with artists, architects, and museums.
Lorraine Wild in her Los Angeles library. Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.
She was among the first American designers to take apart the clear grids and minimalistic forms of Modernism, believing that collage could better respond to the fractured nature of modern society. In the early 1990s, Wild helped found Los Angeles design firm ReVerb, and in 1996, she established her own studio, Green Dragon Office.
Beat Culture and the New America: 1950–1965 book by Allen Ginsberg, cover design by Lorraine Wild. Inc.: 1995.
Wild is the designer of over 70 notable books and exhibition catalogues on architecture, art, photography and other cultural topics. “You have to be interested in culture to design for it,” is a quote often attributed to Lorraine Wild. In 2001, Wild was awarded a Gold Medal by the New York Art Directors Club for the design of her Height of Fashion art book. She has also received numerous awards from such prestigious organizations as the American Center for Design, the American Institute of Architects and the American Association of University Publishers.
Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art book. University of California Press, 2004. Designed by Lorraine Wild and Robert Ruehlman. Courtesy Green Dragon Office.
Height of Fashion book; 1st edition: June 1, 2000.