I want to point out that the new SVG template that Jesse shared showing keycap labels shows that what I (and probably most of us) were thinking was the outline of the top surface of the keycaps is in fact the inner boundary of the bottom of the keycap. The top surfaces of many of the keys are significantly smaller. I’ll try to re-do the mock-ups of the runic layouts, and I expect that we’ll need to reduce the size of the symbols, both to keep them positioned over the LEDs and to avoid the homing dots. When I have something new, I’ll post it here.
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The thing is, they’re cool, it’s just, they interfere with the meaninglessness of the runes, at least for me. I’ll leave the philosophical and anthropological implications of the fact that only pictograms of people seem to do this for me as an exercise for someone else.
I don’t know to what extent the five “likes” my earlier post has accrued so far represent a general preference, but I’d definitely prefer it if we could dig up alternatives to the humanoid pictograms.
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I was taking those “likes” to mean agreement with your disapproval of humanoid figures.
@algernon, @TimNN, @bjn, @aspiers, @jairus.bowne, feel free to comment.
Anyone who doesn’t like the humanoid ideograms (on keycaps, anyway), go ahead and “like” this comment.
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I liked @inviolate.mind’s comment because of the first paragraph:
not the second. I don’t think the less abstract nature of Linear A bothers me - maybe I’m pictographically impaired, but I didn’t really notice many obvious interpretations until @bjn posted his marvellous interpretation (which for some reason I am still finding incredibly entertaining on the 5th reading - ROFL at “happy fat guy”, “flux capacitor”, “angry parking meter” etc. - sir, I salute you as a comedic genius!)
Anyway, doesn’t the fact that on the surface Linear A appears to have more obvious meaning but yet has still remained indeciphered for thousands of years make it even cooler?!
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This is exactly why I liked that post.
I’d even go a bit further and say that Linear A is my least favourite not only because of the humanoid figures but because of too many “recognisable” pictograms in general.
Things I see in the Linear A layout: A vase, a ladder, something like candle holders, a hammer, a battle axe, a set of scales, plants / ferns, a fir / christmas tree, a cup, a cocktail glass (or tea cup?), a (compressed) football / soccer field, a stick figure (without a head), a flag + post.
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A dissenting voice: The fact that the pictograms are recognizable but rather wierd is what I like about the Linear A version!
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I think this statement sums it up perfectly.
Overall, I keep switching between all three proposals depending on how I feel on that particular day. I love the idea of using Linear A per se, but Bamum and Mende have their own characteristics that make them awesome too. Bamum looks like you’re supposed to be able to read it, but it’s totally foreign (to nearly everyone worldwide, which for me is a little off-putting), and Mende looks somewhere between pictograms and a character font, which is why I keep coming back to it, however again it’s not quite an unused set of characters.
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The two runes I don’t like about Linear A is the archer, and the scales of justice two keys below it. It took me a while to find the Shepherd, so I suppose I’m fine with that. The scales are okayish too, but the Archer is, at least for me, irritating, and a bit out of place on a set of keycaps with non-humanoid figures mostly. It’s the symbol that looks like a human most, while the rest far less so.
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I’ll definitely want to replace at least the Archer (too complex for the size it needs to be, based on the new template), and I’ll be happy to replace some of the others, too, but I won’t have time for it until January, unfortunately.
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I’m trying to recall, did we choose the layouts already, or is that still coming? I just noticed this runic layout and must say that I dig it!
@fisofo - It sounds like Linear A is the first runic set we’ll make. And no, nobody’s had to choose which layout they want just yet 
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Very excited that it’s looking like we’ll get this Linear A layout! However much as I love the butterfly symbols and am sure they will look fantastic next to standard Roman alphabet keycaps, I’m still not convinced that they will look ideal next to runes. I mentioned this before but only got one response; now that we seem to have more or less reached consensus on the rest of the runic layout, please could people have another read of my thoughts on the butterflies? Here’s the original post:
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Thanks, @aspiers, for bumping your previous post. I agree that the standard Model 01 butterfly glyph — while beautiful! — does not go well with the rest of the Linear A layout.
Of your links, I feel that the “rune Dagaz” shown at shiny.it is the closest to being a good match, but agree that it’s noticeably simpler than most of the Linear A glyphs.
I mocked up something which adds a bit more “interest,” and tries to pick up some of the Keyboardio aesthetics as well. Perhaps something we can start working from, anyway?
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Cool, thanks @ErikMH! That’s a great start. What do you think about maybe making some of the lines into curves? Linear A has plenty of curves in it, and I suspect that reducing the number of hard corners and hard angles might fit the butterfly aesthetic a bit better. I’m no designer though, so I could be completely wrong
Ha! My daughter was saying exactly the same thing about curves, just when you were posting. Here’s a shot at it — keeping in mind that I’m no designer either!
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What about just the outline of the Keyboardio symbol? To me the biggest difference is the fact that it is filled in, while everything else is hollow.
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@adam.ard Brilliant idea! That’s already near perfect - obviously the lines would need to be a lot thicker but I’m sure that’s easy to tweak. And in fact that’s also quite similar to @ErikMH’s curved version, but with a nicer round body plus the two antennae. Thanks guys!!
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@adam.ard I love it! And yeah, I’d probably try going to a thicker line, making the antenna lines each a single line, rather than a traced outline.
My preference would be for this glyph to be on the same butterfly key as the QWERTY layout, with something else (ideally symmetrical) on the two function keys.
If nobody else has done it by the time I get back home (January 6), I’ll make a new mockup with the wireframe butterfly. I’ll do one with it on the same key as the QWERTY layout, but I’m sure It’ll make the keyboard look lopsided. I’d much, much rather have the butterflies on the palm keys.
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