Susan Kare

Susan Kare and her partners in a human pyramid (https://www.htagg.com ())

Creative, intuitive, and interesting are all words that describe Susan Kare. Susan Kare started her career for Apple when her friend, Andy Hertzfeld, called her and told Kare about the position. I first noticed Susan Kare a few months ago while typing an essay for school. I thought to myself, "I wonder what goes into making these icons and who does them". The thing that really attracted me to Kare was the fact that she was always determined to get her work done on time and correctly. I would like to take a similar career path of a graphic designer and design for clients just like she did.

Portrait of Susan Kare (http://blogs.plos.org (R.J. Muna))

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as a graphic designer, your job is to create designs for clients depending on what they ask. You can use layout software, digital illustration and photo-editing software to create patterns or a message. When designing a layout, you also create the color, images, and font that are on the design. Graphic designers not only work with images, but also text. Combining text and images can portray complex ideas in a simple manor. A big part of marketing and selling products is the graphic designer. They make the logos, the slogan, brochures, etc. that can attract new customers and make them come back. According to bls.gov, a graphic designer makes around $46,900 per year, or ~$22 per hour.

Graphics work from Susan Kare (https://www.pinterest.com/GCSEGraphics/susan-kare/ (Susan Kare))

When Susan Kare was in high school, she worked for Harry Loucks, a terrific designer at a science museum in Philadelphia. Loucks introduced Kare to typography and graphic design according to wikipedia. In 1971, she received her B.A., summa cum laude, in art. This, on top of working with Loucks, pushed Kare further into graphic designer. When she went to the New York University in 1978, she got her PH.D. After that, she moved to San Francisco to work for the Fine Arts Museums. One of her biggest influences when doing graphic designer was her colleague, Paul Rand. She always took advice from him and looked up to him whenever she needed help. She would refer to his books and color choices, and even came up with a slogan, WWPRD; what would Paul Rand do?

Susan Kare is really passionate about Surfer's Healing, which gives kids with autism a one-on-one experience with surfing and also gives their families an average beach day. She is also a supporter of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, which is an independent, non-profit research facility for sensory physiology in Philadelphia.

In high school, I plan on taking art and digital photography classes. These classes can further teach me on how to create digital photos and techniques. If I continue learning about graphic design, it can help me get a job later on in life with related tasks.