How to Make Campaign Buttons
Even in this age of Internet advertising and media spin, campaign buttons are still one of the best ways to get your message out. They are cheap and easy to produce, and let your supporters get your message out for you. Campaign buttons do not need to be complicated to be powerful. A button is the perfect size for a good picture, a bold background and a simple message.
Instructions
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Come up with a message. Even a local political campaign should have a vision associated with it that can be communicated in a few words. For example, the Obama campaign stressed the word "change" and the phrase "Yes, We Can." Although a "Jones for School Board" button might remind some people to vote for you, ideally you want something with a bit more substance.
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Get your equipment. At a minimum, you will have to buy a button maker machine in the size you want to make, plus a pinback set. The pinback set will usually contain the pinback and the collet (the plastic piece that covers the button). You may also want to buy circular cutters to make it quicker and neater to cut out large numbers of buttons (see Resources below).
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Create your button design in a graphics program. Incorporate a campaign photo, a tasteful background and a message into a small square picture. If you feel ambitious, use a border around the button. Make it whatever size you have chosen for your campaign button. Remember that you are going to be cutting a circle out of that image, so don't include anything in the corners.
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Print and cut the button templates. Set your printer to tile the image so that it can fit many buttons on one sheet of paper. Cut each out with a circular cutter or scissors.
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Make the buttons. Put the button template into the button maker surrounded by the pinback and collet. Push the lever down to clamp the pieces together.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember to make a few test buttons before printing to make sure to get the wanted result.
