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Álvaro García M.
ContributorAlthough I'm specialized in digital marketing, I've been writing about technology since 2017 and in Webedia Spain publications since 2022. Overall, you can read my work at Applesfera, though once in a while you'll find me at Xataka, Xataka Android, and Xataka Móvil writing about Android gadgets.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
What do a 1980s typeface, early laser printers, and a fictional animal have in common? The answer is one of the best-kept secrets of the original 1984 Macintosh. Clarus, a silent Apple star, became an icon for the company’s workforce but went largely unnoticed by the public.
Clarus was an unofficial Apple mascot present in several generations of the Macintosh operating system. However, he disappeared too quickly, despite the affection of Apple’s employees. More than 40 years after his introduction, the latest version of macOS brings a nod to the beloved character.
Clarus: An Icon Born with the Original Macintosh
The creative mind behind Clarus is Susan Kare.
Launched in 1984, the original Macintosh was groundbreaking for several reasons. Its legendary advertisement is often hailed as the best commercial in history. However, its most significant achievement was being the first commercially available computer with a graphical user interface, a foundational concept that led to the creation of Clarus.
In 1982, graphic designer Susan Kare joined the team responsible for designing a crucial element of Macintosh’s graphical interface: its typefaces. One of her earliest designs was Cairo, the first bitmap dingbat font. Dingbat refers to typefaces that blend alphanumeric characters with graphic symbols.
Unbeknown to her at the time, Kare was crafting a legend with the Cairo font. In it, she included a distinctive glyph: a dog with black spots that became affectionately known as the dogcow. This character was later named Clarus.
Kare was also responsible for designing several other iconic elements within the Mac environment. This includes the still-recognizable Finder icon, which has undergone various redesigns over the years. Another example is the original Macintosh icon, known for its charming smile. However, none became as emblematic as Clarus, which ultimately evolved into a symbol of Apple’s internal culture.
The Cairo font and Clarus were part of the Macintosh experience until System 7.1, the operating system Apple released in 1992. After that, they seemingly vanished. Or did they?
When Clarus Took Center Stage in the Realm of Printing
In 1986, Apple was working to expand its computer market with the LaserWriter, one of the first laser printers in history. However, the company faced a graphic challenge. How could it effectively present several printing options to users? The answer was Clarus.
Apple designer Annette Wagner decided to use the dogcow character to demonstrate several print formats. As such, users could see Clarus in different styles: in color, black and white, vertically, horizontally, and looking to the left or right. This was done to provide a clear understanding of the alignment, position, and color of the sheet that was about to be printed.
By the Late 1980s, Clarus Had Become a Star at Apple
Interestingly, while the public didn’t pay much attention to Clarus, Apple employees embraced it as an icon. It wasn’t only a design element used in typefaces on the Macintosh and printers, but also served as the company’s internal mascot.
A sculpture of Clarus was located in the gardens of the former Apple Infinite Loop campus.
Notably, Apple erected a sculpture of Clarus in the gardens of its former Infinite Loop campus. Clarus became a cultural symbol for Apple during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1998, its image appeared on event badges, bags, stickers, and T-shirts. Additionally, the mascot was featured in Apple’s design guidelines for developers.
Having transcended into popular culture, Clarus even found its way onto “Apple Watches,” which displayed the dogcow character between the hands. However, these watches are likely plastic replicas.
The Sad Decline of Clarus
Clarus even had its own T-shirts.
In 1997, co-founder Steve Jobs returned as CEO following a decade away from the company. A year later, the decline of Clarus began when its sculpture disappeared from the Infinite Loop campus. However, some aspects of it remained, given that classic Macintosh environments could still be run on the computers of that time.
The official demise of Clarus can be pinpointed to 2007, when OS X 10.5 was released. This version of the Mac operating system was no longer compatible with classic environments, effectively making Clarus disappear. It was completely absent… until very recently.
macOS Sequoia’s Tribute to Clarus
With the launch of macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple introduced a new dynamic wallpaper available that pays homage to classic Macintosh icons. Among these icons is Clarus.
Clarus makes its comeback in macOS Sequoia, almost 40 years after its first introduction.
This new wallpaper can be accessed under the name “Macintosh” for users with macOS 15.0 or later. You can navigate to System Settings > Wallpaper. You can then choose from nine different color options or opt for a random selection. Along with Clarus are other iconic symbols that hold a legendary status in the history of the Mac, particularly from the original Macintosh.
Clarus also made a brief appearance in 2022 in the print options of macOS 13 Ventura, though it was difficult to locate.
Image | Benjamin White
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