Author Topic: How should I go about this.?  (Read 3911 times)

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Offline Av180

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How should I go about this.?
« on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:40:45 »
I bought an Otaku Brown Leopold TKL with blank black keys. I sorta dressed it up with wasd keys and esc key. But I wanna know what to do to be able to get somebody to get hey "Thats a nice keyboard there" to "Wow that keyboard looks awesome nice job." Should I just buy caps from group buys? To make it unique? Buy a 37 keycap set from WASD? How should I roll with decorating my keyboard.


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Offline thegunner100

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:45:03 »
"Awesome" is pretty subjective. What matters is what looks nice to you, since you're gonna be the one using the keyboard most or all of the time.
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Offline Av180

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:46:17 »
Most peoples opinions of awesome on this forums would be very similar to my sense of awesome. :)


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Offline IvanIvanovich

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:51:03 »
It's all totally subjective and 100% personal taste. Some people like the understated class of Cherry doubleshots, some like psychedelic super multi color boards and everything in between. It's your board, have a look around and just ask, hey where you get those caps?

Offline MMB

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:53:24 »
If you want people to notice your keyboard, order the keycaps I ordered from qtan:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/104-PBT-Rainbow-engraved-keycaps-for-MX-cherry-Switches-keyboard-Filco-Noppoo-/300662466894?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item4600e1294e

Should be arriving this week :)

Offline Av180

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:54:09 »
Yeah I guess, thanks for the advice. Im gonna make my keyboard unique trying to get a CC and maybe some caps like the nyan cat backspace stuff if they ever do a round 2 :o.


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Offline thegunner100

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 21:57:56 »
If you get anything from qtan, buy it from his store because it's cheaper than his ebay store.
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Offline MMB

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 12 March 2012, 22:15:08 »
Unfortunately Qtan doesn't carry the rainbow PBT keycap set I bought on his own store :P

Offline necr0mancer

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 03:56:00 »
Just as others have said: It's subjective. Just do whatever you think looks good.

I feel if you're solely trying to impress others, you're doing it wrong. - Just my opinion
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Offline Human

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 05:19:18 »
Quote from: Av180;544025
I bought an Otaku Brown Leopold TKL with blank black keys. I sorta dressed it up with wasd keys and esc key. But I wanna know what to do to be able to get somebody to get hey "Thats a nice keyboard there" to "Wow that keyboard looks awesome nice job." Should I just buy caps from group buys? To make it unique? Buy a 37 keycap set from WASD? How should I roll with decorating my keyboard.


Lots ppl here like Vintage Cherry Doubleshot. But I sure 99% chance that your fren won't ever notice anything special/worthy with it.
if you want to be a attention ****, you can try some click-clack keycaps(the looks are exaggerated), provided you can land your hand on those... Apart from that, try metal keycaps.
Lastly, do it the China Chinese style, rainbow keycaps...

Offline Zzz

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 11:57:59 »
My vote goes to spoiler and undercarriage lights.

Offline sth

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 12:04:46 »
Quote from: ripster;544571
Go Helvetica.

(Attachment Link) 43941[/ATTACH]

The missing part of that image is all the cocaine on the bathroom counter. You think hipsters just like stupid **** because they have bland taste? It takes drugs to make people think that typography is something that 'cool' people are into and that Pabst is anything more than a last resort.
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Offline Jamesbeat

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 14:05:45 »
I guess I find myself being grudgingly impressed with blank keycaps, probably because I can't touch type.
I'm not impressed by the keycaps themselves, but by the fact that the owner can type on it.

In my opinion though, anyone who is actually worth impressing will likely be more impressed that you built the keyboard to your own taste without worrying what anybody else thinks.

Trying to impress others usually has the exact opposite effect.


I haven't been interested in keyboards for long, but in that short time, I've seen quite a few keyboards in the "That's a nice keyboard there" category.
However, the only keyboard that I have seen that really, genuinely impressed me was this one:
http://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1067
After seeing work like that, swapping out a few keycaps for colored ones suddenly doesn't seem so impressive.

Offline Typhaeon

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 14:51:49 »
Subjectivity is overrated.  Get a book or two on design principles and read up.  There are rules and standards of good design that don't just hinge on personal sense of taste, one of these being orange/blue or similar color contrasts being pleasing to the eye.

If you're looking for something distinctive, don't just smash some Internet memes here and there and expect people to fall at your feet.  Don't focus too much on individual keycaps either, but an overall look.

Try using a font that hasn't been used widely in new keycaps, or distinctive color patterns based on each row, or even better, a cross or diagonal pattern of colors.  The market is saturated with desaturated-looking "gamer" equipment; use RYB secondary colors (orange, green, violet) for a look you don't often see.  If money or effort's no object, try going for a wooden case, maybe a well-polished walnut or mahogany.

If you want to be noticed, you have to do things other people don't do, which involves going to lengths in effort and planning that other people normally don't.  You have a vague idea at this point, from what I've seen in your posts; try to focus on a specific theme or style.  Preferrably not 8-bit, because that's horribly overexposed, and it doesn't work so well with off-centered "pixels" like keys on keyboards.

Offline Djuzuh

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #14 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 14:57:31 »
My opinion is : If it pleases the owner, who are you to say he shouldn't do it? :P

Also, Meme keycaps are usually not (only) here because they are pretty, but because of the ideas they hold, and because it's the very nature of memes (recognize/bound with people of the same group)

Offline Typhaeon

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #15 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 15:04:51 »
The "idea" content of most memes couldn't fill a thimble.  Really, now, going with idea-virus keycaps doesn't make you a member of a cool, exclusive club; it makes you yet another unoriginal dingbat with an awesomeface escape key, or somebody whose life experiences are so limpid that they find a rainbow-poptart cat the height of surreality.

If you want to stand out, eschew memes for original content.  Because you don't want to blend in.

Offline Djuzuh

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #16 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 15:06:35 »
Why the hate?

Offline eltocliousus

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #17 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 17:03:10 »
Quote from: Jamesbeat;544693
I guess I find myself being grudgingly impressed with blank keycaps, probably because I can't touch type.
I'm not impressed by the keycaps themselves, but by the fact that the owner can type on it.

I recently bought a blank cap HHK, my mother took one look at it and said I was ****ing stupid for spending $300 on something you can't use.

Offline Jamesbeat

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #18 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 18:08:13 »
So that confirms that it's in the eye of the beholder :)

It also depends on the level of keyboard knowledge that the observer has.
What, to the uninitiated, may appear to be a rather drab grey and blue set of keycaps could actually be a replica space cadet with sphericals.

Different-colored WASD keys makes me think 'Overweight Mountain Dew-guzzling virgin', but someone else might think it was the coolest thing they had ever seen. (just kidding ;))

Offline hazeluff

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #19 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 18:14:39 »
Quote from: Av180;544025
I bought an Otaku Brown Leopold TKL with blank black keys. I sorta dressed it up with wasd keys and esc key. But I wanna know what to do to be able to get somebody to get hey "Thats a nice keyboard there" to "Wow that keyboard looks awesome nice job." Should I just buy caps from group buys? To make it unique? Buy a 37 keycap set from WASD? How should I roll with decorating my keyboard.

My super rainbow keyboard gets a ton of "Thats a nice keyboard" from people in my uni ><. So you just need 100 different novelty caps. and about 40 colors.
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Offline Jamesbeat

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #20 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 18:24:28 »
Being Asian or Korean doesn't preclude being overweight, a virgin, or having an affinity for fluorescent green soda...

Offline Autolyze

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #21 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 21:15:52 »
No one ever got fired for buying a keyboard full of Click Clacks.

Offline Typhaeon

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 21:40:45 »
Quote from: Jamesbeat;544985
So that confirms that it's in the eye of the beholder :)

It also depends on the level of keyboard knowledge that the observer has.
What, to the uninitiated, may appear to be a rather drab grey and blue set of keycaps could actually be a replica space cadet with sphericals.

What?  These minutiae are totally irrelevant to this thread's theme, since what the OP wants is to create a keyboard that people will notice and compliment him on.  It's obviously a question of aesthetics, not some "geek badass" nonsense like uniform, drab beige/grey/charcoal blank keycaps that are clearly a desperate plea to the world that yes, you really are better than everyone, seriously guys, appoint me eternal dictator of Earth and the Crab Nebula; I can touch-type!

Nor is this some ****-waving nerd cred ploy: who exactly is going to know and/or care among the general population of computer users that a keyboard is "a replica space cadet with sphericals" if the board isn't designed to stand out in any other fashion in color or design or general thematic feeling?  Around 0.5% of the geek crowd, if that.  The hell is the point of modding a keyboard for exhibitionist purposes like he wants to if it's all premised around insider horse**** you have to have lurked Geekhack and owned 10 HHKBs with quadruple-shot keycaps assembled by literal cherubim who lubricate each pure unrefined orichalcum spring with a tiny, divine tear to grok?  The aim is to impress members of the general public.  Start with the things every human being with functional eyeballs will notice first: color, then move on to finer details, if at all.

You don't set out with the objective of building a board that looks as boring as I am in real life to get an understated yet noticeable aesthetic, nor do you just vomit a bunch of brightly-colored keycaps atop your Browns willy-nilly until it makes people want to prise off each cap and pop it down their gullets to choke in a tragic case of mistaken candy identity and think that'll just garner you instant attention, besides as a serial asphyxiator.

Stop infuriating me with this crap, Geekhack.
« Last Edit: Tue, 13 March 2012, 21:46:09 by Typhaeon »

Offline whiskerBox

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #23 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 22:04:58 »
I agree with jamesbeat to an extent obviously when you first get into you want a keyboard that looks like a clown puked on it, but later on the subtlety of a nice classy vintage set will really inspire you.

Quote from: ripster;545012
I remember back in the day when Geekhackers got excited by the Red Esc key in your Avatar.

Now Geekhack needs a Epilepsy warning like my ****ing PS3 everytime it loads up.


Yes that one key and a nice set is way more appealing then 87 different novelty keys.


I can't say anything though as my board is just covered in different colors.
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Offline thegunner100

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #24 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 22:08:45 »
Quote from: whiskerBox;545242
I agree with jamesbeat to an extent obviously when you first get into you want a keyboard that looks like a clown puked on it, but later on the subtlety of a nice classy vintage set will really inspire you.



Yes that one key and a nice set is way more appealing then 87 different novelty keys.


I can't say anything though as my board is just covered in different colors.


Good thing we have multiple keyboards so that one can be covered in novelty keycaps while the others can have a nice vintage looking set of keycaps :plane:
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Offline whiskerBox

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #25 on: Tue, 13 March 2012, 23:04:24 »
Quote from: thegunner100;545246
Good thing we have multiple keyboards so that one can be covered in novelty keycaps while the others can have a nice vintage looking set of keycaps :plane:


Yes this theory only lends to the disease of collecting :rofl:
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Offline Autolyze

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #26 on: Wed, 14 March 2012, 07:02:52 »
I think a Clown Vomit Keyboard is mandatory, but only if you've got a few classy boards to balance things out.

Edit: Aside from the Clown Vomit Keyboard that gets to stay locked in the closet, it should go without saying that the keyboards should only have doubleshot and PBT keys. Really exotic keycaps like ones made from human bone are also acceptable.
« Last Edit: Wed, 14 March 2012, 07:13:33 by Autolyze »

Offline Typhaeon

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How should I go about this.?
« Reply #27 on: Wed, 14 March 2012, 07:10:16 »
You know what, I think clown puke'll be the replacement theme (the old one being "obvious overbranding") for my CM Quickfire.  I'll probably have to replace the boring grey casing on it if I'm going that route to complete the look, though.