The original Macintosh operating system, released in 1984, is remarkable for its graphical user interface. The Macintosh was the first mass market computer to use the desktop metaphor and mouse. Designers of the Mac set out to make computing less intimidating, friendly even, and a large part of their success is due to the interface design. Much of the early Macintosh iconography and type design was developed by Susan Kare, an artist whose work today is as ubiquitous as a stop sign, known by millions around the world. As a pioneer in the field of graphical user interface design, Susan Kare largely had to intuit her process. According to her profile in the New Yorker, “what Kare lacked in computer experience she made up for in visual knowledge”. “Bitmap graphics are like mosaics and needlepoint and other pseudo-digital art forms, all of which I had practiced before going to Apple,” she told an interviewer, in 2000.

As computing has advanced we’ve somewhat evolved away from the bitmap toward scalable vector graphics. But there is something to be said about the simplicity of the bitmap. Some of the most effective design is made by paring elements down to the bare minimum, a self-imposed restraint that is part of the inherent nature of the bitmap.

Project goals:

Non-linear, branching narrative employed to convey story.

Creative use of the web as medium for telling stories.

Some level of interactivity.