Kazuyo Sejima (born 1956), a Japanese architect, who achieved global acclaim in the mid-90s with the co-founding of SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates), known for ethereal and minimalist architectural aesthetics.
kazuyoSejimaFront. Photo by Aiko Suzuki.
She is famous for designing the New Museum in New York City (2003), which is notable for its angular architecture. One innovative aspect was her use of unconventional materials that added a sense of lightness to the building, making it appear almost weightless.
New Museum of Contemporary Art. Courtesy of Nathan Bevil and the Ohio History Connection.
Another notable work is the Glass Pavilion in Toledo (2006), Ohio, where she conjured up a see-through design, blurring the lines between inside and outside. After returning to Japan, Kazuyo embarked on designing two of the nation’s most prominent national art museums, the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (2015) and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa (2004). Kazuyo Sejima also has a passion for fashion and has collaborated with Comme des Garçons, a renowned fashion brand. She even curated an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, bridging the worlds of architecture and fashion.
Photo by Ishikawa Koji. Courtesy of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion. Courtesy of Nathan Bevil and the Ohio History Connection.
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.