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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: mashby on Thu, 03 April 2014, 17:01:56

Title: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: mashby on Thu, 03 April 2014, 17:01:56
I came across an article about Susan Kare called The Woman Behind Apple's First Icons (http://priceonomics.com/the-woman-behind-apples-first-icons/). The article talks about how this traditional artist made the leap to pixel art to create many of the icons that still grace our Macs to this day, most notably, the Command Key (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_key).

Quote
Her concept for the “command” key mimicked the Saint Hannes cross, which was originally the symbol for a “place of interest” in 1950s Finland, became a traffic sign in Scandinavia, and, later, was used in Sweden to indicate an interesting feature or attraction in a campground. After Jobs had an outburst (http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Swedish_Campground.txt) over the profligation of the apple symbol, Kare had leafed through a “comprehensive international symbol dictionary” to find this new alternative. To this day, it graces the keyboards of Apple’s computers.

I found it interesting to learn where that iconic symbol came from since it's something I use every day.

However,  she didn't just work for Apple, she was also the designed many of the icons found in early Windows Control Panel, the icon for Notepad and even Solitaire.

It's a good article and worth the read.
Title: Re: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: Razor Lotus on Thu, 03 April 2014, 21:30:09
very nice :)

Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: ideus on Thu, 03 April 2014, 22:48:48
This was a very interesting reading. And to know who was behind part of this iconic part of computer's history is great. Thank you for sharing.
Title: Re: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: blackbox on Wed, 09 April 2014, 02:39:35
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting read.
Title: Re: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: sth on Wed, 09 April 2014, 02:46:52
she's clarus' mama!
(http://www.jarnot.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/clarus.jpg)
Title: Re: History of the Apple Command Key
Post by: infiniti on Wed, 09 April 2014, 22:47:54
Quote from: sth on Wed, 09 April 2014, 02:46:52
she's clarus' mama!
Show Image
(http://www.jarnot.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/clarus.jpg)


Moof!  Moof!

Thanks for sharing mashby! :thumb: