Too often we as designers like to lurk. Sit back. Work. Do our thing and just CREATE. That's what the world wants of us right? To imbue a bit of ourselves into something for others to enjoy? Yes, but I feel like too often it stops there—It stays focused on the someTHING, and never permeates to the someONE. Let's change that, even if it's just a little bit.
We sat down with Oratio West (@oh.type) and got to know that little bit more about the someONE he is, and his upcoming debut keycap set—GMK CYL Tribal. Launching for pre order on August 2!
Who is Oratio West?
Oof! Right out the gate with the tough questions...Who am I?...this question is usually a struggle for me to answer, not for the lack of knowing myself, but more the task of defining myself...but here goes. In my personal life, I’m a son, husband, father, friend, all things that mean a great deal to me. I’m also a massive introvert, bit of a nerd but also very laid back. In my professional life, I would label myself as a Creative, having been a design professional for many years but is constantly seeking out new ways to create. I was born and raised in Jamaica, where I lived for many years before moving to the US, where I currently reside with my wife and son.
How did you get into mechanical keyboards?
Nostalgia, really. My introduction to modern computing was back in the 90’s when computers were usually a four-part combo that included a big chunky monitor, CPU tower, mouse and a keyboard (cables were the real MVP). The keyboard was lowkey always my favorite thing to use, although I couldn’t type for shit (still can’t). Over time as computing evolved and devices and peripherals got smaller and lost their wires, I found myself spending a lot of my time using Apple keyboards and thought I was having a good time, to this day, I type better on Apple keyboards than I do, on mechanical keyboards. Fast forward a few years to late 2019, I started taking an interest in workspaces, since I was about to start working remotely again. I started consuming a lot of desk setup content and ever so often, in a sea of low profile keyboards, I would see something that looked reminiscent of the ones I used to use back in the day.
Fast forward a year, I’m finally building my desk setup, after having a floating desk for a year plus, I come across Matthew Encina (@mod.musings), and his set up content is just pure goals and then he features a stunning keyboard in one of his videos and I’m even more intrigued (yes, I bought the keyboard). I started watching a lot more keyboard specific content and got deeper into it, around the same time, I also came across a keycap set design (Gestalt) from designer Timothy Achumba (@akukolabs) who’s work I had been familiar with and who coincidentally was on a similar journey into mechanical keyboards. I reached out to him and we connected and became fast friends, and then he introduced me to Tim Van Damme aka Max Voltar (@mvkbcom), who I also connected with and became fast friends. Through them I was introduced to the amazing mechanical keyboard community that I didn’t even know existed. That came with an opportunity to form new bonds and friendships and pursue new creative challenges…I was sold. Somewhere in the midst of all this, I had bought my first pre-built keyboard that I used as my springboard to dive head first down the rabbit hole.
Tribal. I know this set is deeply personal to you, can you talk about what went into this project and where it’s inspiration came from?
Yes, Tribal came from what I saw as an opportunity to create something that was more representative of my unique perspective in the hobby, especially within a community where I’ve seen positive creativity and self expression be very welcomed. It started out as something slightly different, but ultimately I knew I wanted the set to be a fun celebration of blackness, through the lens of my experiences. While researching, I came across an African language called Vai that is spoken by the Vai people in parts of Liberia and Sierra Leone, it had an incredible history and syllabary and was known for being one of the few African languages whose writing system wasn’t derived from Latin or Arabic script. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to use something that is uniquely black and creative, in a fun way, to pay homage to the origins of blackness and black creativity. I was also inspired by Ivan’s (@vheissudotme) design direction with GMK CYL Mictlán and how he was able to capture a piece of his heritage and culture in a fun but meaningful way. I took a similar path by taking elements from multiple different African tribal masks to create ambiguously abstract representations, as another fun exploration of the origins of black creativity.
The colors came organically with the theme that began to form from the pieces coming together. I knew the base keycap color had to be black since this was at it’s core, a representation of blackness. The red, green and gold are a combination of colors that growing up in Jamaica, usually represented Rastafarianism, but derived their colors from those of the Ethiopian flag. Variations of this color palette are common throughout many African and Caribbean nations’ flags, including my own, so it seemed like a right fit for the purpose. Another aspect that I considered heavily while designing the set, was how to capture and highlight the inclusiveness of the hobby. The most fulfilling part of the hobby for me, has been meeting and connecting with the people in it and I’ve felt welcomed in the community pretty much since day one and so, my greatest hope for Tribal, is to pay that forward as a beacon and welcome mat for people who might think the hobby isn’t for them.
I notice that this uses the GMK Neue legend set that we recently saw with Hi-Viz! What prompted you to use that over the standard legends?
My friend Tim (mentioned above), came to me and told me of his plan to design some new legends for GMK, I had just started working on the set and hadn’t quite decided what I was doing for legends as yet, so there was some back and forth over the decision. As time progressed, and the set started to come together, I made the choice to go with GMK Neue for the modernity, but more importantly, to support my friend’s amazing endeavor and be a part of this historic move for GMK.
This being your first keycap project, were there any hurdles you didn't foresee?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have a front row vantage point of the process and was able to see the similarities between keycap design and most other design projects I’ve led or been a part of, but what took me by surprise was the vast amount of effort that went into choosing the right colors for the final production. Having worked in print and design for many years, this was a more meticulous process than I’d previously experienced. It’s been a slightly frustrating but equally rewarding learning opportunity.
What’s next on your horizon?
Hopefully, more opportunities to design and collaborate on fun, cool keyboard projects that the community will enjoy. There are already a few in progress projects that I’m super excited about and can’t wait to share more about them. But in the meantime, I plan to continue having fun with the hobby by bringing the vibes and pushing the “keebs as art” agenda on Instagram.
