Techno-nostalgia from the 90s Future

In the 1990s, the personal computer and internet as we know them today were born. It was a time of enormous optimism for the future, and a belief that computing (along with increasing global connectivity) was an almost magical phenomenon that would inevitably re-make the world for the better. 

The After-school 1992 keycap set celebrates the optimism and the fanciful aesthetics of that period, gesturing toward Memphis design and the Vaporwave color palette. The uniform DSA profile and Gorton legends of this double-shot keycap set further evoke modernism and vintage computing.

I hope this set will help cast other keyboard enthusiasts back as it does for me: to a period of youthful ebullience in design and hope for the future of technology.

This one-time limited edition of 75 sets in DSA profile is a pre-order offering. It will be made by Signature Plastics, an artisan molding workshop based in Washington State, USA. Their work is extremely in demand, and as a result these sets won't ship until we receive them from the factory in the late spring. Pre-order now to secure your spot.

Now in the popular DSA profile

This set was previously offered in the sculpted DSS profile. This edition uses the DSA profile, which has a uniform flat profile across all rows. Images in this listing show the After-school 1992 color palette in the DSS profile for illustrative purposes only. You will receive a DSA profile set in the same colors.

Set contents

USA-made custom keycaps The swappable keycaps that form the core of this set are an aftermarket upgrade for Cherry MX-compatible keyboards (including the Novatouch and Realforce RGB TKL). The caps are made in the USA (molded in ABS resin, individually hand-finished, and inspected). The large number and combinations of resin colors make this a very expensive set to produce, but as the photos show the effect is a singular one, and in my view entirely worth it.

Hand-made gift box The completed keycap sets will each ship in a custom shrink-wrapped, EVA-lined luxury gift box, made by hand right here in California. These boxes make for beautiful, two-tiered long-term storage of your set when not in use.

Hand-signed product credential folio Each set will ship with an individually numbered product credential folio, signed by the designer (me!), printed, foil stamped, and bound right here in California to simulate the feel and appearance of a vintage passport.

Et alia

Note: The set has changed slightly from previous offerings of the same design in the DSS profile. Rather than offering multiple kits, I've combined everything into one single kit with keys to support a fairly wide range of layout options. ISO keys are no longer included.

The keyboard shown in the photos is a VHS-finish Norbaforce Mark II, which is sold separately. Note that you need to already have a Cherry MX-compatible keyboard to use these keycaps. :) This product is not for children.

Workshop video