Pixels and Personality: A Conversation with Susan Kare

On this episode of The Ledger Podcast, Ledger CMO Ariel Wengroff spoke with the legendary UI graphic designer Susan Kare, celebrated for creating the visual identity and iconic bitmaps for the Apple Macintosh. 

The conversation explored Susan Kare’s professional journey from traditional art and history to being involved in early computing. They discussed how her principles of enduring and meaningful design informed her recent collaboration with Ledger on personalized badges for its latest Ledger Nano™ Gen5 signer.

Ultimately, the dialogue highlighted how design can introduce humanity and personality into the often-impersonal world of technology and money.

“You study art history you learn there’s nothing new under the sun – and to think that ‘digital art is a brand new thing that no one’s ever done before’ – have you ever seen some 18th century needle point (art)?” – Susan Kare

Key Highlights:

From Art History to the Genesis of Bitmaps

Susan Kare initially studied studio art before pursuing art history in graduate school with the intention of teaching. A formative experience was working at the Franklin Institute science museum in high school, where the exhibitions director, who had worked for Charles Eames, planted the seed that design was a profession. 

Her entry into technology began when her high school friend, Andy Herzfeld, an early system programmer in the Mac group at Apple, asked her to create images. He instructed her to color in squares on graph paper to display on the screen.

The very first typeface she created at Apple was Chicago.

The Philosophy of Enduring Design

Kare’s primary objective in design is to create something that won’t be obsolete immediately. She posits that an image has a greater chance at longevity if it’s meaningful and memorable. 

Instead of depicting a specific, literal object (like a detailed printer model), she advises that it is better to represent the core function (e.g., printing or storage) using a metaphor. This approach ensures the design is timeless.

“Nobody seems to need to redesign the stop sign every two years”. 

When solving a design problem, Susan Kare avoids assuming there is only one solution and usually produces a range of options.

The Value of Constraints and Collaboration

Susan Kare found that constraints are helpful creative production. The project with Ledger, which involved designing personalized badges for the Ledger Nano Gen5 signer, was considered a best case scenario because she received clear customer profiles detailing the various user segments. The effort aimed to bring bits of personality into crypto, which often feels impersonal. 

“I usually think you end up with something better when there are more ideas”.

The physical constraints of the badge, its small size and shape, posed challenges, requiring decisions on pixel size and deprioritizing images that were too complex to read when small, such as a detailed skateboard. 

Tony Fadell, Steve Jobs, and the Polymath Approach

Susan Kare has worked extensively with tech visionary Tony Fadell, a Ledger board member and advisor who contributed to both Ledger Stax and the Ledger Nano Gen 5. 

She first worked with Fadell at General Magic and later created icons for Nest. Both Fadell and Steve Jobs share a wide vision and imagination. Kare believes Jobs’ success stemmed from this broad vision, not from being mean. She sees Tony Fadell as a polymath, possessing expertise across diverse fields, such as knowing about cars and animation programs. 

Fadell is characterized as being relentless about user experience, consistently seeking the simplest path forward for the user.

Watch the full episode below:

The Wake-Up Call: Understanding, Not Fearing, Technology

Concluding the conversation, the speakers addressed the prevalent modern fears surrounding technology, noting that much tech discourse feels dystopic. Kare offered crucial advice regarding AI and job security, a principle equally applicable to crypto. 

This emphasizes the need to understand technology rather than fear it. The collaborative project with Ledger sought to introduce play and joy, evoking more of a utopia in tech.

Reading List

Learn more about these topics mentioned in the episode, or explore our library of articles on Crypto, Security, and Regulation on Ledger Academy

• Self-Custody
• Ledger Nano Gen5
• Ledger Op3n
• Generative Art
• NFTs