Wired Magazine just got caught up with my favorite obscure parent of the Macintosh, graphic designer Susan Kare, who created all of the original icons in the first Mac OS, including the Happy Mac and Clarus, the Dogcow. And in case you were wondering what a UI design legend does in retirement, wrap your head around this: Kare is the creator of those adorable virtual gifts on Facebook, from handcuffs to mojitos:
Launched last February, the site’s gift shop offers icons for every occasion, from balloons, puppies, and champagne to mojitos, handcuffs, boom boxes, and a can labeled whoop ass. To date, users have exchanged more than 20 million virtual gifts, paying up to $1 for each, making them one of the site’s most successful revenue streams.
“I can do things in gifts that I never could in UI design,” Kare says. “Screen icons have a job to do they’re more like traffic signs than illustrations. But the gifts don’t have to be anything other than what they are.”
Glad she’s getting paid, but I’m going to miss the glory days for some time now. Her work (and knock-offs) is still evident in applications on Mac OS X and Windows alike, but the same soul isn’t there. Still, puppies for a buck on Facebook…
Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete’s particular Apple avocations are both around design–interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!
