※ When will this be available for purchase?
This will depend on our communication with vendors (regional storefronts responsible for handling purchases and shopping). We will aim to have a group-buy date period sometime in the second quarter of 2021.
For newbies, a groupbuy is the one month period, where stores collect pre-order purchases. Note it is typically months afterwards, depending on the manufacturer’s production line, for these keycaps to be made and shipped.
※ What is KAT?
↠ KAT profile is a sculpted keycap profile manufactured by Keyreative.
↠ Side comparison diagram to cherry (GMK), SA, and OEM profile courtesy of keycaps.info:
↠ It is made of PBT plastic; meaning less likelihood for shine over use compared to ABS
↠ Legends are dye sublimated
↠ It is compatible with Cherry MX style switches on most mechanical keyboards
↠ Here are photos of caps from other Keyreative sets that have been produced or are in development:
KAT Eternal,
KAT Eternal, ,
KAT Napoleonic,
KAM 80s After Dark※ Why so many kits?
It can appear overwhelming, but for the majority of users, a Core Alpha kit + Modifier kit will cover 60/65%, +/- F-row kit to cover 75%/TKL, and Numpad to cover 100% layouts. If you’re in Europe, you might prefer your regional alphas instead.
This specific manufacturer's Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) structure however permits us to support extra compatibility for those who use less popular keyboard forms. As long as the overarching goal of the minimum number of keycap “units'' sold for production is met, all kits will be made.
This approach should be applauded; giving those who enjoy using less popular layouts an opportunity to purchase a set for their favoured form. It also embraces the customizability spirit of this hobby, offering people their pick of legends for alphas and modifiers.
However, a high number of kits is also logistically more challenging for vendors, and is time-consuming from the designers perspective. We'll do our best to cater, but there is a limit to what we can or are allowed to do.
It's been particularly tricky ensuring the gradient applies to non-standard layouts (like 40s/orthos/colemak/ergo), so let us know if we've made any mistakes given our unfamiliarity with those exotic form factors.
※ What colours of blue did you pick?
We are using shades of blue based on the Pantone GP1601A Coated and Uncoated Formula Guide, and selected them based on how well they transitioned with each other.
In regards to the specific colour codes, until group buy, only the manufacturer (for samples), and artisan/cable collaborators will be privy to that information. There are photos of the pantone above though if you wanted to see what it looks like on paper via camera phone.
During the IC period we will continue to try and improve renders to better represent the exact colours better, but note that due to render software lighting, and individual monitor differences, there will be variations.
※ Do you consider the colours/font/icons/kits/novelties final?
Not at all, we are still very open to suggestions and improvement, especially if there is significant consensus and/or expertise opinion regarding feasible adjustments, such as kitting.
※ Is the kanji you are using for the Escape key correct?
From asking around: 中止(stop)、終了(finish; complete) and 退出(exit; leave; withdraw), were informed as reasonable kanji-based options. Keycap sets Kuro Shiro and SimpleJA in fact use 終了, however we wanted to focus on the beauty of a single kanji character if possible.
Thus we went with "終" which has been used in old films, where it is displayed on the screen at the end, in lieu of the French "fin". If you are a native Japanese speaker, please leave a message on any other terminology errors or suggestions. Thanks to Kidviddy for aiding with translations.
※ The term Manga was created by the artist Hokusai
※ Arising from the Edo period, the Great Wave art may be Hokusai’s most famous work, but he didn’t produce the piece until 70 years old, after creating more than 30,000 works of art.
※ The wave print was part of a 36-piece series known as Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.
※ Despite its popularity, the series was not considered great art by Japanese art historians of the time. They viewed uikyo-e as a form of commercial printing – not fine art, beneath consideration for artistic merit. But today, original woodblock prints are beloved by museums and galleries around the world
※ Hokusai was influenced by Dutch artist's techniques of vanishing point perspective, evidenced by the illusion of depth, and a low horizon line; abandoning traditional Japanese isometric view, where motifs are scaled according to importance.
※ There are echoes of golden ratio throughout the artwork, where the fractal nature of breaking wave mirrors the mathematical beauty of nature itself.
※ Prussian blue is the traditional "blue" in both blueprints and aizuri-e (藍摺り絵) Japanese woodblock prints. It was imported from China and the Netherlands (the only countries Japan traded with in the 1830s).
※ The colour "Berlin Blue" found its way to the printmaking industry in Osaka where it was trafficked as “bero”, where its vivid hue, tonal range and foreignness saw it explode in popularity just as it had in Europe.
※ Before Prussian blue reached Japan, printmakers used the blue dyes indigo and dayflower blue, which are much less vibrant.
※ This compound is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system. It is used as an antidote for certain kinds of heavy metal poisoning
※ Here is what a woodblock print looks like:
Articles for reference:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66591/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-great-wave-kanagawahttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/may/19/hokusai-japanese-artist-late-blossoming-great-wave-mount-fujihttps://blogs.getty.edu/iris/why-the-iconic-great-wave-swept-the-world/https://blog.britishmuseum.org/the-great-wave-spot-the-difference/
