Handmade Pinback Buttons

Promote your favorite cause by handing out handmade buttons.

Pinback buttons allow you to express your views in a concise manner. They can be humorous, serious, clever or just silly. You can make your own with a few simple button-making tools. Produce one design en masse or make each button unique. Use words or pictures to express your thoughts to the world.

Use Words

Use clever slogans to entice others to read your buttons. Alliteration and clever word play are good tools to use to this purpose. Try to use as few words as possible for maximum effect and readability. Three words are plenty to make your point and to appear attractive in design. "Rockstars Return Recyclables" could be an alliterative slogan meant to raise awareness about a city's new recycling program. "White is the new Blond" could be a wordplay slogan for an active senior women's group.

Use Images

If a picture is worth a thousand words, use clear, effective images to communicate your intent on your button. Use pictures that others can process in less than a few seconds, but that might lead them to think for much longer than that. Silly images of people making faces may inspire a laugh or a smile from others. Images of endangered animals might inspire people to think about a group whose intent is to save the rain forest.

How to Make a Pinback Button

Use a button-making kit to make your own pinback buttons. Design your button's image on a paper circle equal to the size of the plastic circle you will use to cover the button. Fill in the entire circle, but understand that the edges will fold around toward the back. Try to keep the main part of your design as close to the center as possible. Insert the metal backing, the image and the plastic cover into the button maker, press together and insert the pin in the back to create your own unique button. Print out several copies of your design to mass produce buttons.

Distribution

Buttons are a quick and easy way to raise awareness for a cause. They are inexpensive to make and easy to hand out. Get a permit if your city requires one, then set up at a location where you are likely to see many passers-by. Wear your button so that others may see it, then offer copies to people. You can tell them more about your cause if they stop to talk, but they may just take the button and go. If you have made an effective design, some will try to further their knowledge of your cause. Not everyone will want a button, but those who take one will have the information you have imparted with your handmade buttons.

References

• YouTube; How to Make a Pinback Button; March 2007