Designing the Future: The Story of the Altar 1 Keyboard

As a passionate computer keyboard enthusiast, I’ve enjoyed seeing the mechanical keyboard market expand recently, with new companies offering innovative designs for PCs and Macs. One notable entrant is Andrew Emerson, a London-based designer who founded Electronic Materials Office. Driven by the dream of creating the ultimate computer keyboard, Emerson embarked on an extraordinary journey.

Trained in graphic design, Emerson spent the past decade as a software product designer at various tech companies. Despite having limited knowledge of industrial design, CAD, manufacturing, running a business, or assembling electronics, he decided to design and produce his own keyboard. His background in typography and editorial design heavily influenced the creation of Altar 1, a keyboard born from his bold leap of faith.

In the summer of 2022, while between jobs, Emerson dove into the world of mechanical keyboards, researching extensively. He found existing keyboards too bulky, flashy, and laden with RGB lights. Determined to create a keyboard that met his preferences, Emerson, with the help of friends, built a prototype. He launched a website with an email signup form and shared it on Hacker News. To his surprise, the website went viral, with tens of thousands of hits and 15,000 email signups.

Encouraged by the response, Emerson quit his job to focus on Altar 1. After six months of refining the design and securing manufacturers, pre-orders opened in April 2023. Today, over a year later, pre-orders are shipping.

The Altar 1 features an aluminum monobody and uses Kailh Choc low-profile, hot-swappable switches. Emerson drew inspiration from Richard Sapper’s ThinkPad design, with influences from Hartmut Esslinger’s work with Apple and Frog, 80s and 90s Sony, and Teenage Engineering. The result is a minimalist industrial design with maximalist graphics, reflecting Emerson’s typographic expertise.

Emerson wanted Altar 1 to be as sustainable as possible. The keyboard uses 50% recycled plastic, and its packaging is free of plastic, made from biodegradable sugar cane pulp. Due to limited funds, Emerson employed creative workarounds, such as printing the manual with a thermal receipt printer from a defunct restaurant and using stickers and debossing for packaging.

Initially run from Emerson’s rented apartment, half of the first batch of Altar 1 was assembled there before moving to a small office in Docklands. The reception for Altar 1 has been heartwarming, validating Emerson’s labor of love, driven by his desire to create the ideal keyboard for himself.

I had the opportunity to test the Altar 1. It’s a sleek keyboard with a flat profile, though I would prefer flip-out feet for an angled typing position. Despite personal preferences, the Altar 1 stands out with its unique design and thoughtful features, such as differentiated key heights for different zones, raised function and modifier keys, and a scooped finish for numerals and the cursor cluster.

The Altar 1 also supports sustainability with its recycled materials and biodegradable packaging. Its design reflects Emerson’s background in typography, with larger numerals reminiscent of clock faces and minimalist keycap legends. The keyboard includes multimedia keys and a raised rotary control for sound adjustments, enhancing its functionality for macOS and Windows users.

Overall, the Altar 1 is a stylish and promising keyboard. While there are areas for improvement, such as stabilizer adjustments and the oversized numeral legends, Emerson’s vision and dedication shine through. Priced at £349 with free shipping, the Altar 1 is available in English ANSI or ISO layouts from the Electronics Material Office.