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geekhack Marketplace => Interest Checks => Topic started by: nadhole69 on Wed, 11 November 2026, 07:46:13

Title: [IC] GMK CYL Mayan blue
Post by: nadhole69 on Wed, 11 November 2026, 07:46:13

(https://i.imgur.com/SSLDmVX.jpeg)
Discord (https://discord.gg/238zwjkEmM)
FORM (https://forms.gle/Ug1hZuMpePkTCRMG8)

GMK CYL MAYAN BLUE

Hi, let me introduce Mayan blue a set inspired by one of the most historically significant color.

This color, traditionally obtained by combining indigo with clay, was characterized by an extraordinary resistance to the elements and the passage of time.

Beyond its aesthetic value, Mayan Blue held deep symbolic and spiritual significance: it was associated with water, the sky, fertility, and the sacred realm. It was used to decorate ceramics, sculptures, buildings, and ritual objects, becoming one of the defining elements of Mayan culture

AND, i wanted to bring Maya culture not only through color, but also by using their two primary numbering systems: the bar and dots numerals, and the cephalomorphic (head-shaped) numerals, which were used on calendars and in sanctuaries.

Since this is a somewhat unique set  I’d like to gauge initial interest first; the only way to do that is by filling out the FORM (https://forms.gle/Ug1hZuMpePkTCRMG8). The kitting is, of course, subject to change

COLORS
BASE: RAL 200 40 30 Mayan blue
LEGENDS: GMK CP

KIT

(https://i.imgur.com/8lL41lx.jpeg)

I’ve tried to replicate it as closely as possible, following the "double-shot" guidelines. However, some numerals, such as 7 and 13, were represented differently across the sources, so I drew inspiration from various references and articles and selected the most commonly used versions.

(https://i.imgur.com/1GV3KrU.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/rCbzVux.jpeg)

[KEYBOARDS RENDERS

(https://i.imgur.com/86ek8pR.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jdfPwGa.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/BGvz61I.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hwUYtnP.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/snABbp1.jpeg)

If any vendors is interested pls contact me on Discord (Danweed98), or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nadhole_?igsh=MXZ1dzlyb2FqbXd6MA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr)


Vendors:
CN:
SEA:
UK:
KR:
EU:
CA:
OCE:
US:
others TBD

Collaborations: TBD
Pricing: TBD

Title: Re: [IC] GMK CYL Mayan blue
Post by: Zetina on Wed, 11 November 2026, 09:41:15

To be honest, I have a lot of criticism of the Maya side of this set. The colorway looks nice, but I don’t see any real connection between it and Maya culture at all.

1. Why is the colorway a mono blue set? Most of the mayan murals use red, green, yellow and the brown from the clay for most of the art, why choose blue as the main color?
2. Continuing with the colorway, in Maya murals, ceramics and sculpture, blue shows up mostly as an accent for sky, water and background made with a mix from the añol pigment and mineral clay, the shade changes with the recipe and how it was heated, most of the time the color is not as teal as you are showing but much more of a muted sky blue.
3. Which Maya calendar are the glyphs on the novelties from? They don’t look to be from the Haab or the Tzolk’in, so they just look like generic “Maya-style” glyphs found on google to me. You also say numerals like 7 and 13 differ between sources and that you took inspiration from “various references and articles” Which ones references? Head-variant numerals change a lot between site and periods
4. You say you’re bringing Maya culture to the set, but all you show is the numeral system and the calendar. There’s nothing from the architecture, the mythology or the folklore.

Honestly, it feels like you found a color called “Maya blue”, grabbed the first thing a quick search gave you about the culture, and built the novelties from that. I see no research and no respect.

The set doesn’t reflect Maya culture in any way. Maya culture has a huge amount to offer as a theme, so seeing it reduced to a color name and a few numerals with zero real research behind it appalls me to be honest, I respect the fact that you might want to make a set using this color but randomly relating it to a culture without doing due research is not the way to do it.

Title: Re: [IC] GMK CYL Mayan blue
Post by: IBMweMissU on Wed, 11 November 2026, 10:25:04

Love the color, love the Icon Mods, love the windowed keys, even if they're in another kit, not base.

Don't care about the theme stuff, but unfortunately, no symbols on the numrow are difficult for me, otherwise, all in.

Title: Re: [IC] GMK CYL Mayan blue
Post by: nadhole69 on Wed, 11 November 2026, 10:28:09

Quote from: Zetina on Wed, 11 November 2026, 09:41:15

To be honest, I have a lot of criticism of the Maya side of this set. The colorway looks nice, but I don’t see any real connection between it and Maya culture at all.

1. Why is the colorway a mono blue set? Most of the mayan murals use red, green, yellow and the brown from the clay for most of the art, why choose blue as the main color?
2. Continuing with the colorway, in Maya murals, ceramics and sculpture, blue shows up mostly as an accent for sky, water and background made with a mix from the añol pigment and mineral clay, the shade changes with the recipe and how it was heated, most of the time the color is not as teal as you are showing but much more of a muted sky blue.
3. Which Maya calendar are the glyphs on the novelties from? They don’t look to be from the Haab or the Tzolk’in, so they just look like generic “Maya-style” glyphs found on google to me. You also say numerals like 7 and 13 differ between sources and that you took inspiration from “various references and articles” Which ones references? Head-variant numerals change a lot between site and periods
4. You say you’re bringing Maya culture to the set, but all you show is the numeral system and the calendar. There’s nothing from the architecture, the mythology or the folklore.

Honestly, it feels like you found a color called “Maya blue”, grabbed the first thing a quick search gave you about the culture, and built the novelties from that. I see no research and no respect.

The set doesn’t reflect Maya culture in any way. Maya culture has a huge amount to offer as a theme, so seeing it reduced to a color name and a few numerals with zero real research behind it appalls me to be honest, I respect the fact that you might want to make a set using this color but randomly relating it to a culture without doing due research is not the way to do it.

Thank you for your feedback, but honestly, I don't quite understand your comment.
1) Why was blue chosen?
Quite simply, because the set is inspired by that particular shade of blue. What do brown, red, or other colors have to do with it? I'm perfectly aware that these colors were also used in Maya art and culture, but that doesn't mean every design inspired by Maya culture has to incorporate all of them.
A quick search is enough to understand that Maya blue is itself a culturally significant pigment, not just an arbitrary color choice. It also has unique chemical properties that continue to be studied by scientists to this day. That is precisely what makes it an interesting subject for a set.
2) "The shade of blue is not accurate".
Once again, a little research shows that the appearance of Maya blue could vary depending on the materials used, their proportions, and the preparation process. It is therefore reasonable to acknowledge that there was no single, universally identical shade throughout Maya history. but yes it has a shade of teal, is not pure blue, and Do I really have to explain to another designer that  render of a RAL plastic color and a color found on an archaeological artifact can not be identical? :eek:
In my case, I chose the exact RAL color reference provided by RAL. This was a deliberate design choice, rather than an attempt to reproduce one specific archaeological sample.
3)Just to clarify, the symbols are not intended to represent either the Haab' or the Tzolk'in calendar. They are Maya Head-Variant Numerals(like a wrote in post), a documented form of numerical representation used in Maya inscriptions. My intention was to showcase the Maya numerical system, not a specific calendar. These are two different things
https://planetarchaeology.co.uk/maya-number-system/
https://www.famsi.org/research/pitts/MayaGlyphsBook2Sect1.pdf
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/An_Introduction_to_the_Study_of_the_Maya_Hieroglyphs/Chapter_4
The differences I mentioned regarding certain numbers are due to a scarcity of archaeological proof and are still being studied today; honestly, I cannot explain every single detail in a post about keycaps.
4) I also find this criticism rather unnecessary.
I cannot possibly incorporate every aspect of Maya culture into a single keyboard set. The intention was to bring a particular color and some of the main numerical symbols used by the Maya into the design.
Nowhere in my original post did I claim that these were the only important aspects of Maya culture, nor that the set was intended to be an exhaustive representation of their civilization.
A design inspired by a culture does not necessarily have to encompass its entire history, architecture, mythology, and artistic heritage to be a valid concept

Title: Re: [IC] GMK CYL Mayan blue
Post by: nadhole69 on Wed, 11 November 2026, 12:02:42

Quote from: IBMweMissU on Wed, 11 November 2026, 10:25:04

Love the color, love the Icon Mods, love the windowed keys, even if they're in another kit, not base.

Don't care about the theme stuff, but unfortunately, no symbols on the numrow are difficult for me, otherwise, all in.

hi, the standard numrow can be added; I just need to see how the prices change first ;D