After over a year in IC, it surprises me that this project still is one of my favorite boards in typing feel and sound. Let's get it moving...
Moment, previously known as Phase, was my first foray into custom keyboard design in September 2020. Though I often find myself scrapping designs and abandoning ideas, it's been pretty noteworthy that Moment has managed to survive this long. Cloudline took precedence over this design last year due to clear demand in the layout and the hovering uncertainty regarding the MOQ of a 60% from a no-name designer. Now that the F13 TKL design has been accounted for, and my self-fulfilled limited run of Moment is nearing completion, it makes sense to redirect my sights on this project (that being said, I do happen to have another 60% in the works / lined up... IYKYK).
In 2020, as I continued to fall into the seemingly-bottomless hole of mechanical keyboards, I seemed to struggle to find something that I loved 100%. The Leaf 60 was one of my favorite designs from an aesthetic standpoint - the multi-axis curved side profile, the smooth and flowing design really was striking and just a joy to touch. However, the typing feel was just not quite up to par, I found myself loving the bounciness of boards like the Polaris and IDB60. So I decided to create something with a side profile I loved, along with the typing feel I loved.
I initially themed this board around the word "Phase" - as keyboards, much like headphones, hifi audio, knives, fountain pens, seemed to just be another phase for me. I'd be obsessive for a year or two or three, and before I know it I'd be ogling over something completely different. It featured a moon phase insignia beneath the USB port. After a while, a naming conflict came up and I decided to transition the project over to a new name - Moment. I found the idea of opportunities, chances, and time to be super relevant to this project and in how things have panned out over the past couple years - how my love for creating new and unique designs really have branched out just from some decisions made in a single Moment.
In summation, here are the goals kept in mind while fleshing out this design:- Curves, a nice side profile
- Cues that identified it / made it unique
- Reasonably heavy
- Softer typing feel
- My own
