Macintosh system and application icons

"When Kare joined Apple, some icons were already in place, such as the one for “documents” (the paper with the folded corner). Kare embraced this literal language, in which icons looked like the things they stood for, but she also faced the more complex task of inventing forms to communicate applications, which required users to do something and thus needed to appear more directive. For the category “application,” Kare created an icon of a hand holding a pencil against a diamond; with this gesture and others like it, she introduced the whimsy and humor that helped define the Macintosh personality." –Louise Sandhaus, Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires & Riots: California and Graphic Design 1936-1986