Sour
Behind every successful keycap kit design there is a unique story and a passionate person to bring this idea into a real product.
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Introduction.
Hi, my name’s Jad Harb, been obsessed with design since around 2002. I’ve held a few design jobs in my past, like working at an extremely competitive advertising agency, one of the top in the region, to working at a smaller print facility, and freelancing. Designing in the hobby has been some of the most fulfilling work I’ve done. Designing out of pure love and joy is very different than being in a job.
When designing a set, I am the creative director, art director, designer, client servicing agent, and payroll. I think it’s fun to wear many hats at a single job. I started off with running and collaborating on some deskmats but, working in the hobby led me to discover another passion, photography. Product and environmental photography have also become a huge part of my life.
I did a lot of commission work in the hobby for a good 2-3 years, and helped a lot of sets come to life. I designed novelties, did up the packaging, and usually design a logo for the set. I’ve also designed a lot of deskmats.
GMK Sets.
My GMK Sets:
GMK Wasabi 1 & 2
GMK Pono
GMK Dandy 1 & 2
GMK Hooty
Collaborations:
GMK Pacific
GMK Fuji
GMK Deepwell
GMK Blurple
GMK Polybius
GMK Fundamentals
GMK Deep Navy
GMK Pink on Navy
GMK Bingsu
My favourite Set.
I think Hooty would have to be the top contender from my personal work that I like the most. Having full creative freedom while in the building process is invaluable. Being able to design and sell a cute, sleepy, and grumpy owl is quite an experience. I really like the colors of the set. Hooty was the first time I try out custom colors and UV with GMK. Overall the set came out as it was supposed to, and I was overjoyed with the final product. Hooty was also the first set I put together with R5 bottom row.
I think motivation and inspiration can come from anywhere and can come anytime. I started off in the hobby simply wanting some nice deskmats at a slightly smaller size than the standard 900x400, things took off from there. GMK Wasabi was simply inspired by some wasabi served on a little black plate at a sushi restaurant, While the inspiration for Pono came from cute cat related culture online, and at the time, I don’t think there were any cat related sets. This was unacceptable. The simple inspiration for Dandy was a dandelion. Sometimes I like to put colors together first, and then see how I can tie it all in together with a theme, it has to feel good though, it can’t feel forced.
