Watch Susan Kare revisit the icons and graphics for the original Mac
Legendary graphic designer Susan Kare spoke recently at the Startup School 2026 event, and the video for her talk is now up on Y Combinator’s YouTube channel. Watch it below.
Graphic designer Susan Kare recently shared her memories of working on the original Macintosh at the Startup School 2026 event, with her talk now available on Y Combinator's YouTube channel. Despite being over 40 years since the launch of the first Macintosh, many aspects of its original design, such as the Command key symbol, the Happy Mac, and the system fonts, are still present in macOS today.
Kare's work, from the mouse pointer to the UI elements, played a significant role in shaping the visual language of personal computing, not only on the Mac but also across the entire industry.
Kare's talk at the Startup School provided an opportunity for design enthusiasts and Apple history buffs to delve into her passion and the challenges she faced when graphical user interfaces and bitmap graphics were still largely uncharted territory. In her speech, she not only discussed her time at Apple, including her journey into the company, but also shared insights from her work after leaving the organization.
Additionally, Kare's talk was enriched with quotes from other renowned designers, adding an extra layer of inspiration for the audience. For those interested in the evolution of design and Apple's history, Kare's talk is an engaging and informative experience.
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