Modern Materials Keycaps
Mod Musings designed an earthy-toned minimal keycap set for those who appreciate understated elegance.
Available at select retailers worldwide
Click on a vendor to order in your region. These are the only places to buy official GMK CYL Modern Materials keycaps. Any retailer outside of the ones listed is selling knockoff products.
Modern Materials Keycaps
Modern Materials is a low-contrast minimalist keycap set designed by Mod Musings. Inspired by the natural tones found in contemporary interior design, with a nod to the classic 9009 colorway.
Modern Materials is available in two base kits and an accent kit. The "Stone" base kit offers a warm creamy hue, while the "Concrete" base kit provides a neutral gray option. The accent kit adds three colors - "Forest", "Coral", and "Mocha" - allowing you to mix and match for a subtle touch of character on your mechanical keyboard.
Render Samples
Below is a collection of CG renders of Modern Materials in a variety of lighting situations to give you an idea of what the final product might look like in your space. A majority of the keycaps are rendered on keyboards designed by Mode. Click on any image to view larger.
Concrete base kit with Mocha enter accent on Mode Sonnet
Stone base kit with Forrest enter accent on Mode Eighty
Different combinations of Modern Materials on Mode Sonnet
Stone base kit (bottom left), Concrete base kit (top right) on Mode Eighty
Accents: Mocha (top), Forrest (middle), Coral (bottom) on Mode Sonnet
Stone base kit with Coral esc and enter accents on Mode SixtyFive
Stone base kit with Forrest enter accent on Mode Sonnet
Concrete base kit with Coral esc accent on Mode SixtyFive
Stone base kit with accents on F1-8X
Stone base kit with Forrest enter accent on F1-8X
Stone base kit with Mocha esc accent on F1-8X
Manufacturing & Kitting
Modern Materials will be manufactured by expert keycap makers, GMK in Germany.
Features
Double-shot ABS plastic
CYL “Cherry” profile
Compatible with MX-style mechanical keyboard switches
Base kits come with full layout support, including minimal 40s support.
Modifier keys are a text-only design, with support for Mac layouts.
The accent kit is designed to be used with the base kits and other keycap sets. It includes five R1 relegendable keycaps that can be used in your F-row or on a macro column.
All kits come with a Mod Musings logo R1 keycap.
Click any of the kit images below to view larger.
“Stone” base kit - a warm creamy hue.
“Concrete” base kit - a soft gray color.
Accent Kit – “Coral” “Forrest” & “Mocha”
Mix and match the keycaps included in the Accent Kit. Rendered here on the Minerva LX by Archetype.
The Accent Kit comes with three colors which pairs with either base kit, or with existing keycap sets.
All of the Modern Materials kits can be mixed to create interesting combinations for personalization.
Where to Buy
Modern Materials will be available to preorder from December 1-29, 2023, with shipping expected to be in Q2 2024. Prices will go up after the preorder period. Novelkeys is the lead vendor in the US, with several proxy vendors around the globe.
International Vendors
Click on a vendor to order in your region. These are the only places you can buy official GMK CYL Modern Materials keycaps. Any retailer outside of the ones listed is selling knockoff products.
US: NovelKeys
CA: Deskhero
UK: ProtoTypist
SEA: Ilumkb
EU: Oblotzky
AU: Daily Clack
CN: zFrontier
About the Designer
Modern Materials is designed by Matthew Encina from Mod Musings, a design studio based in Los Angeles, California. Matthew is a creative professional with 20 years of experience in design, advertising, and content creation.
Learn more about Matthew Encina
“When I set out to create Modern Materials, I wanted a keycap set that would reflect my aesthetic – calm, minimal, and inviting. The design draws inspiration from my environment. The natural material of my polished concrete floors, the warmth of my white oak desk, and the plants and decor that add life and vibrance to my space. I created Modern Materials for those like me, who appreciate earthy color palettes and value the beauty of understated elegance.”
— Matthew Encina
Founder & Creative Director at Mod Musings, Inc.
Keycap inspiration
Featured below are photos of the Mod Musings studio designed and built by Matthew Encina.
The Design Process
Learn about the process of how Modern Materials were made in this documentary short.
Artwork
The key art for Modern Materials is based off of swatch tiles commonly used in the interior design process, as a way to select materials for a project. A simplified graphic version was developed as a design system to create branding and marketing collateral.
Media
Leading up the release of the Modern Materials, we created a series of teasers to build anticipation for the product launch. Including a CG animated video inspired by the set, as well as a collection of digital posters announcing the launch date.
Modern Materials Novelkeys video teaser created by Steven Olver.
More to come
This is the second mechanical keyboard product Mod Musings has designed with more on the way. Sign up for our newsletter below and follow us on social media to stay updated with future releases.