ILLUSTRATION  |  ART DIRECTION  |  2024–25

Designing GPBT Star Sign, A Magical Keycap Set ♈

Glorious releases a limited-edition keycap set each month through a program called KeyCapsules. My co-designer Nick McKim and I were tasked with creating a horoscope-inspired keycap set and a surrounding marketing campaign for the product’s release in January 2025.

Responsibilities
Illustration, Product Design, Art Direction

Team
Nick McKim (Co-Designer)

Keycap Design Process

Designing a high-quality keycap set presented unique challenges: ensuring the set looked good across different keyboard layouts, maintaining a consistent illustration style between designers, aligning patterns across keycaps for a seamless look, and achieving color accuracy during the production phase.

We tackled these challenges through multiple stakeholder reviews, communication with the manufacturers, and ongoing design jams between Nick and me.

Keycap Design Takeaways

Despite the fast-paced timeline, GPBT Star Sign was created with quality and love. The set features 137 cherry-profile keys, with interchangeable designs for the F Row and space bars, reinforcing Glorious’ focus on customization. 

  • One key takeaway from the design process was how physical manufacturing constraints impact design. This was presented during the dye-sublimation process, which caused slight shifts in the final colors compared to our initial Pantone selections.

Marketing & Campaign Direction

In addition to the keycap designs, Nick and I led the marketing campaign to introduce GPBT Star Sign to our audience. Being the first set released in 2025, we had the opportunity to shape the product campaign around new beginnings, aligning the astrological theme with the fresh start of a new year.

Main Marketing Initiatives:

  • Connecting Astrology to Gaming: We created horoscope-themed content related to the signs and their gaming styles, making the content more personal and engaging for customers.

  • Customization: To further engage with our brand ecosystem, we integrated our keyboard configurator, Boardsmith, into the campaign, focusing on fun builds based on the signs’ elements. This allowed customers to visualize the builds featuring the new keycaps, reinforcing our brand’s commitment to personalization.

  • Content & Strategy: As the art directors of this campaign, we built a comprehensive library of visual assets to be used across web, social, and email content, ensuring consistency throughout. We also provided direction for photography and renders, focusing on the compatibility of these keycaps within Glorious’ existing keyboard ecosystem.

Outcome & Impact

GPBT Star Sign was an incredible opportunity to blend art, storytelling, and customization into a cohesive product experience. Through thoughtful design choices and marketing strategy, we successfully launched a product that resonated with our community while refining our approach for future releases.

  • The astrology theme was received well and helped attract a new audience, as reflected in UGC and partnered influencer posts.

  • We developed a content plan to sustain engagement after the product launch, which received positive reactions.

  • By participating in the design, production, and launch processes, we gained valuable insights that will continue to shape Glorious’ future KeyCapsule designs and campaigns.