Interview

Susan Kare on Designing the Original Mac Icons and Why Simple Design Lasts

Source attribution: Original source

Interview details

Publication date: Aug 15, 2026
Duration: 51m

Speakers

Susan KareArtist, kareprints.com

Viewpoints in this interview

Good ideas should precede visual form

Kare says meaningful and memorable design begins with a strong underlying idea, with the visual form following from that concept.

Susan Kare Meaningful Design Source at 1:29

The Macintosh aimed to make computing understandable

Kare describes the Macintosh team's goal as building a friendly computer that ordinary people could understand without necessarily needing a manual.

Susan Kare Accessible Computing Source at 6:43

Creative work can benefit from understood constraints

Kare argues that designers can remain creative within severe technical limits and should understand and embrace constraints rather than resent them.

Susan Kare Design Constraints Source at 7:28

Simple geometric choices improved early screen typography

Kare says she made the Chicago font cleaner by emphasizing horizontals, verticals, and 45-degree angles within the limited pixel grid.

Susan Kare Typography Source at 8:50

Visual interfaces can reduce dependence on language

Kare says the Macintosh team tried to communicate settings visually and avoid text where possible so interfaces could work internationally without separate localized versions.

Susan Kare Internationalization Source at 12:15

Even primitive tools can enable rapid design iteration

Kare recalls that the early icon editor was extremely useful because it let her alter pixels repeatedly, inspect icons at actual size, and generate usable code despite lacking sophisticated features.

Susan Kare Design Iteration Source at 12:52

Less detailed icons can become more universal

Kare favors reducing icons to a few salient details because simpler representations are easier for diverse users to identify with and recognize quickly.

Susan Kare Icon Simplicity Source at 16:53

Unexpected user reactions reveal design mistakes

Kare uses the Macintosh bomb error icon as an example of a humorous design becoming alarming to users, reinforcing the need for iteration and testing.

Susan Kare Design Iteration Source at 18:24

Product-specific icons tend to age poorly

Kare argues that icons depicting particular hardware designs can become dated and that simpler metaphors generally have greater longevity.

Susan Kare Icon Simplicity Source at 21:30

Strong icons depend on metaphor and meaning

Kare says successful icon design is not fundamentally about manipulating pixels but about choosing an idea, metaphor, and meaning that users can understand.

Susan Kare Visual Metaphors Source at 27:32

Design benefits from exploring imperfect starting points

Kare describes icon design as an inexact process and says client requests or programmer placeholders can provide useful ideas that designers then refine.

Susan Kare Design Iteration Source at 28:35

Memorable logos should connect visually to their meaning

Drawing on Paul Rand's advice, Kare favors logos whose visual treatment reinforces the product or company name rather than relying on an arbitrary symbol requiring extensive marketing.

Susan Kare Logo Design Source at 39:58

Creative projects usually require more time than expected

Kare says project work routinely takes longer than initial estimates, even when the desired outcome appears clear, so additional time should be allowed.

Susan Kare Project Planning Source at 41:59

Making ideas visual can replace prolonged discussion

Kare endorses the advice to draw and show ideas visually rather than relying on extended verbal discussion.

Susan Kare Visual Prototyping Source at 43:29

Interfaces should avoid making struggling users feel inadequate

Kare says describing an interface as usable by some people rather than simply calling it easy can help users avoid feeling unintelligent when they encounter difficulty.

Susan Kare Accessible Computing Source at 46:58

Presenting multiple options can improve creative feedback

Kare recounts advice to present several design alternatives so a reviewer can participate by comparing and selecting options rather than simply rejecting a single proposal.

Susan Kare Creative Collaboration Source at 49:11

Brand consistency should precede playful logo variations

Kare agrees with the principle that a logo should first become strongly recognizable before designers experiment with its colors, backgrounds, or other variations.

Susan Kare Logo Design Source at 50:18