Esc Keys keycaps – Image Credit: Asprey Studio/Susan Kare
Susan Kare, one of the original Mac team members, is selling silver and gold keycaps and pendants using her icon-based artwork you can wear or adorn your keyboard with.
A designer who worked on the icons used on the original Macintosh, Susan Kare actively continues to work as an artist. In her latest offering, she is selling keycaps as well as pendants bearing images created in the low-res bitmap style.
The series, titled Esc Keys, consist of 32 icon-style images, ranging from lightbulbs with faces and birds on a wire, to waves, books, and the word “Panic!” None of the icons are directly Mac-related, but the styling isn’t a million miles away.
Each of the icons are limited to 120 units of each, which are sold as a computer key, and in some cases, as a necklace pendant, produced by Asprey Studio. Each are sold in silver with oxidisation or gold vermeil with cold enamel, though solid gold versions can also be requested.
Notably, the keycaps able to be mounted to a mechanical keyboard, making them practical art that you can use as a literal escape key.
As art pieces, the pricing starts from $644 for a silver key, $1,033 for the gold vermeil version. The pendants start from $1,420 for the silver, $2,065 for the gold vermeil.
Kare’s most famous work are the 32 pixel by 32 pixel icons she created for the Macintosh. She is synonymous with the Mac, and is one of the people in the famous Rolling Stone photo of the pyramid of Mac software team members.
In June 2024, Apple honored Kare by creating a screensaver and wallpaper for macOS Sequoia featuring the interface and her icon designs.
