Susan Kare and the ⌘ symbol

“Why are you taking a photo of a road sign?” Mum asked.

We were in Oslo, on the second day of a two-week cruise. We’d done most of Bygdøy—or “Museum Island”—and were wending our way down the slope to the Viking Ship Museum. And I noticed, by the side of the road, a Place of Interest sign. But, being Norway, this wasn’t just any Place of Interest sign. It was a Command sign:

I‘ve long known the story behind that symbol, and why it’s (still) on every Mac keyboard. But I figured maybe not everybody does. So, here’s a 20 minute video of Susan Kare, inventor of the Mac ⌘ symbol, talking about the icon’s history, as well as the work she went on to do after Apple, at Microsoft, Facebook, and Swatch.

Is it just me, or does she seem like the most awesome person?

Find more videos like this on the EG Conference vimeo page.

Or, if you’re a typography geek, check out the history of the ⌘ icon.