Custom Typeface for CHERRY MX Board 5.0
Type designed for injection moulding, not screens
TypeMates designed an exclusive typeface for the CHERRY MX Board 5.0 mechanical keyboard, built directly into the keycaps via a doubleshot moulding process involving two wet-in-wet plastic injections. The font had to satisfy strict physical manufacturing constraints—minimum stroke thickness, minimal distance, maximum width—while maintaining consistent backlighting across all 2K keys. Stencil construction, ink traps, and rounded terminals were introduced as functional responses to production demands rather than purely aesthetic choices.
Insights
- Stencil apertures preserve small counters (e.g., centre of 'A') against stress from moulding and interior illumination, ensuring even backlighting across all keys.
- Ink traps and slightly rounded sharp points were added to prevent fine detail from breaking off during the moulding process.
- The design process was iterative and agile—technical requirements were discovered incrementally, each finding redefining the working parameters.
- Glyphs were organised into three apparent sizes for different keycap uses; word-length glyphs were compressed and tuned to retain a consistent extended aesthetic within keycap boundaries.
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