Author Topic: [IC] GMK Birch - GB live until March 1st, 2021 (Read 100788 times)

break · « **on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:09:19 »

Group Buy: February 1st to March 1st, 2021

Please visit the GMK Birch Group Buy thread for more details on pre-ordering GMK Birch.

Inspiration

My wife and I are expanding our home for our first child, and that means some interior design! The E N D G A M E for my home office would come from Knoll - particularly the classic work produced by Finnish designer Eero Saarinen for Knoll during the 1940s and 1950s.

The Lasurite blue used in this set reflects my favorite colorway for Saarinen’s womb chair. Keyboard collectors will undoubtedly see inspiration from other classic sources: original Cherry keysets and their descendents, like GMK 9009, as well as inviting modern sets like GMK Cafe, Solarized and GMK Firefly.

Enjoy the creamy alphas and woody modifiers legended with blue-green for a warm, clean interpretation of OG Cherry sets. Add the Lasurite blue accents for some subtle character, similar to GMK Blue Alert. These RAL reference pictures may help visualize the set’s colors in full daylight.

More

Kits

GMK Birch has four kits for now: a base kit with numpad and basic ISO coverage, novelties inspired by Saarinen's work, a spacebar kit, and basic coverage for 40% layouts.

Base Kit

Spacebars

Novelties

These novelties reference some classic interior pieces from the 1940s and 1950s, like the womb chair, the tulip chair and table, the Eames lounge chair, and a healthy amount of cocktail glassware.

Forties

This is an extremely light 40s kit, offered to help a few friends use Birch on their 40s.

RAMA

This is Rama Works's collaborative aluminum artisan for GMK Birch. It has two infill layers and two tiers. You can see those tiers in the isometric view. The birch-colored drink tier is the lowest tier, while the rocks glass outline sits above it. Both are engraved into the keycap, which is anodized to lazurite blue.
Thank you to Sour for the inspiration, through the incredible Rama for GMK Pono.

Renders

Iron180 by Smith + Rune

With warm interior lighting.

Dawn, by crykn / Finite Design

Fjell by Mechanisk

KFE CE by bisoromi + beamingrobot

Anubis, by nerdy

Join Nerdy's server for more details.

J-02, by Jae

Collaborations

Artisans

Some of you have heard me claim that I “quit” artisans. You never really quit artisans, though, am I right? So I’m excited that some of my favorite artisans have agreed to collaborate on this set:

Prime Caps
Sodie Caps
Destroyer Caps
TRMK Caps
Latrialum
deagcaps
Bad and Booj Keys
Mastonon Designs
Phage Caps

Deskmat and Banderole

I’ll also announce some other nice collaborations soon.

Interested?

If you’d like to see this set on your desk, please fill out this Interest Check Survey.

For dad jokes and some behind-the-scenes news, join my Discord server.

You can also find me on Discord (break#8888) or Reddit (u/breakbeatzors).

Vendors and GB Date

GMK Birch will open for group buy at these vendors during February 2021.

US: CannonKeys.com
SEA: Monokei.co
EU: MyKeyboard.eu
UK: Prototypist.net
CA: DeskHero.ca
AU: DailyClack.com
CN: zFrontier.com

Special Thanks

My endless gratitude to

Walker for renders, kitting discussion and guiding me through my first IC
Manzel for additional amazing renders
various amazing designers for thoughts and answers to random questions: tom, pwade, crykn, Emir
the Florida (Mech)Keys and Keycap Designer communities for all of their support and suggestions
my brother, redtens, for graphic design mentorship (endless chair revisions!) and very constructive feedback
last but not least: to my wife for endless discussions about furniture, colors, and keycaps, and her constant support for my interest in this kitschy little hobby

break · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:09:40 »

Updates

2020-12-02

- Finalize second deskmat and share more renders.
- Submit new aluminum artisan for rendering.
- Marketing all day.
- Review IC feedback and finalize kitting.

2020-11-04

Nearly three months later. Apologies everyone!

All updates promised for August are in: new novelties, new spacebar kit, changes to base kit.

All vendors and group buy date have been announced.

2020-08-03

The August update will be delayed by a few weeks. In it, you can expect:

a reworked Novelty kit, as well as render updates
updates to Spacebar kit: offering 1u and 1.25u spacebar, offering split alpha-colored bars.
updates to Base kit: physical ISO support, "Break" instead of "Pause".

Still waiting on more survey feedback for 40s support and NorDe-UK. I'd love to offer both, but pricing needs to make sense. I don't want to ask vendors to buy out kits that fail to meet MOQ.

In the meantime, I've also secured vendors for US, SEA, UK and EU. I'll announce them soon. GB will likely run early 2021, but I don't have an exact date yet.

2020-07-10

Reworking Novelties kit.
Changing Base and Spacebars kits to better support ISO and 40s.

2020-07-03

Changing Base and Spacebars kits to better support ISO and 40s.
Exploring options for Novelties kit.
~~Considering R5 sculpted row.~~ Not for this set, sorry folks.

Common Questions

Will you offer a deskmat?

I’ve heard you all on this - we will offer a deskmat. Maybe several! I also personally want a “mini”-mat (500x250mm) to fit my personal keyboard tray, so you can expect that too. More news on the deskmat soon.

Color matching is tough, and you’re new at this. Can we trust you?

I have reached out to several people about color matching, and plan to employ the community’s state-of-the-art techniques to match color.

Rest assured: I’ll use the largest magnifying glass and candle I can find. /s

What about a 40s kit?

I am not personally a 40s user, but this kit is on my radar. If you are interested and require 40s support, please let me know in the IC Survey.

What about expanded ISO coverage?

I’m considering a few tweaks to the base kit to improve support, like R3 \| and R4 >< (thanks Konstantin). Depending on interest I am also open to adding UK-ISO into base.

A Scandinavian-inspired set without a NorDe kit?

I would love to support NorDe users, but it’ll be challenging. Consider two of the biggest sets to date: GMK 9009 sold 1500 base kits and 55 NorDe kits, while GMK MoDo Light sold 3000 base kits and 100 NorDe kits. At a 3% attachment rate and a standard 250 MOQ, I would sell 7.5 kits.

That said, if you’re interested in NorDe, chime in on the IC Survey and I will definitely consider it.

Love the base kit, but...chair novelties? (And other comments about Corbusier / Mies and Saarinen’s architectural work.)

I hear you! I’m not the biggest fan of novelties myself. If you’d like to express yourself outside of interior decor, I promise you’ll love the work coming from the artisans collaborating on this set. Hopefully you’re also interested in the base kit as is.

goddream · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:15:28 »

cute, glwic

powwu · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:18:32 »

Wow, this set is gorgeous.

trg1234 · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:38:43 »

interested. consider text+icon pls

mrpetrov · « **Reply #5 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:46:30 »

As a lover of mid modern furniture and style generally, I love this set. Great work with the colors. The novelties are killer too.

konstantin · « **Reply #6 on:** Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:49:30 »

I'm a fan of the colors, they remind me of some Prostoria furniture I own (not quite Knoll, but close enough). Nicely done.

You can remove the 1.75u spacekey since there is no 40% support in the set, and that size is only used on a few 40% boards.
1.25u and 1u spacekeys would be a better inclusion, since they are also used on Alice-style boards, ≥60% splits and for standard split 6.25u space.

Please consider using R3 \|, R4 <> instead of R3 #~, R4 \| for the ISO keys. You can read why here and here.

P.S. Whoever did your render made the Scroll key the wrong row

Ulliam · « **Reply #7 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 00:01:39 »

great job dude!

Agilr · « **Reply #8 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 00:02:12 »

All accents in base kit, now we're talking

vi0till · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 00:23:08 »

so clean. i really like the colorway.

guybrush · « **Reply #10 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 01:55:31 »

Oh I like this a lot. Having just bought a few Artek items I understand the birch love

. I’d be in for this.

Shiro · « **Reply #11 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 02:16:26 »

i really do enjoy the colors, though i wish there were more varied designs for the novelties outside of just chairs personally.

DetectiveNio · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 02:17:52 »

I waited so long for these.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

bobdenard · « **Reply #13 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 02:48:17 »

Gorgeous colors, I’m in! I second konstantin about R3 |\

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

Emir · « **Reply #14 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 03:28:46 »

Much better than the first draft, good job and good luck!

Rawcco · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 03:31:38 »

Lovely colours, interested. Novelties not so sure...

tonetizzley · « **Reply #16 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 04:04:36 »

Completely in on this. Great work!!

lolafineday · « **Reply #17 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 05:22:31 »

A render without the accent keys? Might look interesting

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Fredington · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 06:19:56 »

Nice.

ttom · « **Reply #19 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 06:40:19 »

Looking good, GLWIC mate!

SMOKEY · « **Reply #20 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 07:55:35 »

I really like those colors! Looks very clean!

beerafffe1 · « **Reply #21 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:01:42 »

This is nice. Would have loved to see the Le Corbusier or an Eames in the Novelty set but this looks very nice!

Mc Eggroll · « **Reply #22 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:09:59 »

This set looks so good! It's like calming almost, great choice of colors. The novelties I'm not a huge fan of.

sebkow · « **Reply #23 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:11:18 »

nice set but the modifiers should be a little darker. Something closer to spiced honey.

Zeelobby · « **Reply #24 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:14:42 »

Looks great break. Cool to see this up!

ogWalker · « **Reply #25 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:15:29 »

Very excited for this one, great work break!!

noorejji · « **Reply #26 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:30:59 »

More of a PBT Oak person tbh, gl with ic.

futurecrime · « **Reply #27 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:43:07 »

Nice inspiration, really dig the novelties. I like the idea of a bunch of chairs on a keyboard.

EnjoyMyInSec · « **Reply #28 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 09:18:43 »

Nice work, looks nice

IMZO · « **Reply #29 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 10:34:08 »

ooooh all those accents on the base! Dope!! GLWIC!!

musicgecko · « **Reply #30 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 10:59:27 »

i like how it adds a luxurious and premium look to those keyboards without being over the top flashy. when GB?

n.rdy · « **Reply #31 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 14:25:50 »

Yes!!

mikeduran · « **Reply #32 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 14:41:29 »

This is beautiful, I would join!

hotel · « **Reply #33 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 15:29:47 »

Looks reallyyyyyy good, very interested

break · « **Reply #34 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 17:03:11 »

Warning: this message powered by a combination of New Dad Feels (my son is turning six months old next week), afternoon cortados and garden-variety appreciation.

I set out to design something that fit into both my new home office and my (hypothetical for now, am I right?) desk at work, and thought of this as an excuse to learn some graphic design (a personal life-long goal). Thank you all for the kind words and feedback during the first day of the GMK Birch Interest Check. (I’m sending this message a bit earlier than 24 hours, because frankly I need to celebrate putting this out into the world.)

I’ve added a Common Questions post with some thoughts after reading every piece of feedback. Thank you all for taking the time.

SwitchKeys · « **Reply #35 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 17:12:08 »

Very classy.

ilikerustoo · « **Reply #36 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 17:47:25 »

I'll take it

crykn · « **Reply #37 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 19:57:47 »

captain · « **Reply #38 on:** Thu, 02 July 2020, 21:36:07 »

Lookin good son!

Tapatalk steals money then adds ads back in and demands more money!

pixelpusher · « **Reply #39 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 00:01:21 »

The blue looks quite a bit darker in the renders than the RAL swatch. Interested to see some samples in plastic.

I think this would look amazing on the LeandreN's (Mekanisk) ultramarine color boards.

Surface · « **Reply #40 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 00:43:32 »

Am interested in this! Refined

konstantin · « **Reply #41 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 03:12:24 »

Quote from: pixelpusher on Fri, 03 July 2020, 00:01:21

I think this would look amazing on the LeandreN's (Mekanisk) ultramarine color boards.

I think so too!

Spicemaster · « **Reply #42 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 08:47:47 »

This set rendered on the gold Hiney TKL One just sold me. Count me in!

Maybe the novelties can get a slight upgrade? Possibly add some interior design alternatives like a vintage record player/jukebox, vase with flowers, ottoman, a cigar (less on theme but think it would fit), framed painting or other nice touches to a home office. Just some things that came to mind. Either way, love the set and will be picking one up once GB comes around.

break · « **Reply #43 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 22:22:13 »

Quote from: Rawcco on Thu, 02 July 2020, 03:31:38

Lovely colours, interested. Novelties not so sure...

Quote from: Mc Eggroll on Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:09:59

This set looks so good! It's like calming almost, great choice of colors. The novelties I'm not a huge fan of.

Quote from: Spicemaster on Fri, 03 July 2020, 08:47:47

This set rendered on the gold Hiney TKL One just sold me. Count me in!

Maybe the novelties can get a slight upgrade? Possibly add some interior design alternatives like a vintage record player/jukebox, vase with flowers, ottoman, a cigar (less on theme but think it would fit), framed painting or other nice touches to a home office. Just some things that came to mind. Either way, love the set and will be picking one up once GB comes around.

Quote from: mrpetrov on Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:46:30

As a lover of mid modern furniture and style generally, I love this set. Great work with the colors. The novelties are killer too.

Quote from: futurecrime on Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:43:07

Nice inspiration, really dig the novelties. I like the idea of a bunch of chairs on a keyboard.

Quote from: Shiro on Thu, 02 July 2020, 02:16:26

i really do enjoy the colors, though i wish there were more varied designs for the novelties outside of just chairs personally.

Quote from: beerafffe1 on Thu, 02 July 2020, 08:01:42

This is nice. Would have loved to see the Le Corbusier or an Eames in the Novelty set but this looks very nice!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. The novelties have provided a fun excuse to learn graphic design, but there’s clearly a mixed response to them. I’m weighing out a few options:

Since folks can simply skip the kit if they like, replace some of the more esoteric designs with other interior design hallmarks.
Same as above, but go with a slightly broader theme than “MidMod hits.”
Scrap them in favor of 1-2 aluminum artisans, if this gets all the way to GB.

If I keep them, they definitely need to be polished, specifically errors in proportion while setting up my artboards. Some folks also identified two which may fall outside of GMK standards (thanks crykn and 159) - I forgot to double check this before running the IC.

I’ll keep you all posted on what I decide, and would love to hear more from you all about this in the meantime.

break · « **Reply #44 on:** Fri, 03 July 2020, 22:28:57 »

Meanwhile, some thoughts on ISO and 40s.

Quote from: bobdenard on Thu, 02 July 2020, 02:48:17

Gorgeous colors, I’m in! I second konstantin about R3 |

Quote from: konstantin on Wed, 01 July 2020, 23:49:30

You can remove the 1.75u spacekey since there is no 40% support in the set, and that size is only used on a few 40% boards.
1.25u and 1u spacekeys would be a better inclusion, since they are also used on Alice-style boards, ≥60% splits and for standard split 6.25u space.

Please consider using R3 \|, R4 <> instead of R3 #~, R4 \| for the ISO keys. You can read why here and here.

P.S. Whoever did your render made the Scroll key the wrong row

I’m absolutely considering those changes to base ISO support, thanks for suggesting them and sharing links to the reasoning for the keys. The improvement in coverage is phenomenal.

As for 40s support, I’m considering adding support in the form of R2 & R3 1u Esc, R3 Enters in 1u and 1.75u along with Tab in 1.25u, and R4 1u Shift and Enter. These may go into the Spacebars kit, alongside split alpha-colored white bars, as a single Extension kit for non-base layouts.

As always, let me know what you think!

Abstand · « **Reply #45 on:** Sat, 04 July 2020, 09:07:03 »

I am loving the look of this set. My only suggestion would be to please please include white alice bars in the spacebar kit.

Lazy_Borzoi · « **Reply #46 on:** Sat, 04 July 2020, 18:31:14 »

Love the colors.
Would it be possible to see additional renders on e-white and grey colored boards?

break · « **Reply #47 on:** Sat, 04 July 2020, 21:20:41 »

Quote from: Lazy_Borzoi on Sat, 04 July 2020, 18:31:14

Love the colors.
Would it be possible to see additional renders on e-white and grey colored boards?

Thank you!

More renders coming soon alongside kitting updates.

musicgecko · « **Reply #48 on:** Sat, 04 July 2020, 22:51:46 »

love the colors but not the novelties. i understand its a tribute to inspiration but not my cup of tea.

Zeelobby · « **Reply #49 on:** Sat, 04 July 2020, 23:26:16 »

I think my only issue with the novelties is that some of the chairs on the bigger keys look like smaller keys but just stretched.

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Author Topic: [IC] GMK Birch - GB live until March 1st, 2021 (Read 100788 times)