You’re probably acquainted with the term “hypebeast,” a label attributed to both the eponymous Hong Kong-based fashion and style site alongside the trend-chasing demographic that the outlet’s culture is built around. Keyboard designers Kha Lu and Rustin Sotoodeh launched their brand Higround under similar style+culture constructs, but one specifically orbiting the realm of gaming culture.

“After having several discussions with the gaming community, we really saw things in a different light,” says Higround co-founder Kha Lu, “We realized the majority of the products on the market didn’t represent this audience we were so fond of. They’re covered in dripping fashion, but their gaming hardware is basic black or white. We asked ourselves, ‘How can we innovate?’”

And so the two launched Higround with a selection of mod-ready keyboards, keycaps emblazoned with graphics any gamer would recognize, and small selection of desk accessories. The brand would go onto also collaborate with properties and brands such as Attack on Titan, Beats by Dre, and 100 Thieves, serving up the aesthetic falling under the banner of “hypegeek,” a trend-driven community not too different from that of hypebeasts, but representing the convergence of video games, fashion, sports, and music.

Most of the youth and gaming oriented designs deliver an obvious nod to the gamer aesthetic, but a selection of Higround keyboards do offer graphics which aren’t so clearly gamer-oriented, specifically the brand’s signature 65% keyboard with graphical topography theme.

Each abbreviated compact USB-C keyboard includes dedicated arrow keys, dye-sublimated PBT keycaps, hot-swappable switches, and an aluminum plate and silicone dampening foam foundation for a satisfying tactile, ASMR-inducing typing experience. We’re partial to the Snowstone edition, but there’s also the option for iterations in both orange or blue line work graphics (but in typical hypebeast/hypegeek “drop” fashion, tend to sell out regularly, with scheduled restocks).

Gregory Han is Tech Editor of Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.

You can follow Gregory Han on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Read all of Gregory Han's posts.

Angelucci Architects designed the Nido House in Melbourne with a central courtyard that opens up the core of the home while adding a private outdoor space.

fuseproject's Airmega Icon air purifier for Coway is a breath of fresh air that doubles up as a side table with a wireless charging top.

Formerly Juju Papers and Avery Thatcher Tile, the new brand Thatcher is launching two new vibrant collections to elevate your interiors.

One of the most iconic paintings in the world – Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night – is getting the LEGO treatment with a new, fan-designed set.

You’ll always hear it from Design Milk first. Our passion is discovering and highlighting emerging talent, and we’re energized by and for our community of like-minded design lovers — like you!

Photo copyright retained by photo owners, everything else © 2022 Design Milk®.