40+ Creative, Courageous, and Campy Buttons
Sep 19th in Articles, Inspiration by Sean Hodge
A button (or badge in some places outside the US) can be designed for maximum impact through message, image, and cleverness. They have a capacity to communicate change and are often proudly worn as badges that represent our causes and beliefs.
Designers can tap into this capacity to communicate through creative button designs that challenge our conceptual thinking, promote positive change, while stylistically pushing the medium. In this post, we look at over 40 button designs driven from a variety of sources: modern illustrators, campy old cartoons, political badges, close up textures, positive causes, and more. Let's look at some inspiring buttons and see if we can kick our creative engine into gear.
Hi All! Tutorials are awesome. I'm really into writing them, visit AiBURN. I'm from the US, but living on the beach in Venezuela. My studio is Connection Cube. Thats where I get to do graphics, web design, and write for some great companies! I love working on creative projects!
Creative Buttons
Buttons can be visually interesting, as the collection below illustrates. They can be clever and conceptual. Many of the examples below pull textures from various sources. One of the more conceptual examples ties together cassette tape designs and button textures. And in the case of the "void" button you have the message and stark emptiness of minimal design unified. There are numerous ways to get creative with your button designs, below are just a few.
Courageous Buttons
Buttons can make strong statements that support causes, challenge our way of thinking, and communicate active involvement. Here is a selection of buttons that either have made a difference or are being worn and impacting the world today.
Campy Buttons
Pop culture is a big source of inspiration for button designs. They have traditionally been handed out as swag at all kinds of events. Many artists have taken up this medium to showcase some of their work. Buttons make for cool giveaways or small products for artists to sell. Merging a message, like "Solving Poverty," within something fun could make the button more interesting. Below are an assortment of buttons from Star Trek, pixel artists, bands, cartoons, and more.
Some Early Entries in the "Solving Poverty" Button Design Contest
Below are a handful of early entries in the contest. Notice how many of them have worked on conceptualizing the lettering and message. The buttons below make strong statements and rely heavily on the words to communicate the message. Some have added imagery, effective type choice, and play with transparency as well. It's a good start and we hope to see more great entries as well. It's a good cause and a challenging topic to design for.
Here is the link to the button design contest announcement for all the details. Be sure to use the tag "solvingpoverty" in the PSDTUTS Flickr group when submitting your entries. Also, follow this link for more about how you can take action through design and make a positive difference in the world.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Tomo-Croman September 19th
very interesting.
andi September 19th
Badges.
BroOf September 19th
Th8is little man in my head speaks to me: Create a badge like this!
Btw.: I Likte it!
Segatto September 19th
Jesus I want to fill my jacket with those (well not the political kind).
Paul Roberts September 19th
Badges.
Amy Mahon September 19th
In the first paragraph under “Creative Buttons,” there is a typo. “Button’s” shouldn’t have an apostrophe since there is nothing belonging to the button; the word is plural.
CoolAsIce September 19th
Cool!
Thomas September 19th
any resources on getting these things made? any good web based companies?
oh my GOD ! September 19th
Badges.
Aliasart September 19th
really great idea, I think I should try it myself
Chris September 19th
This is not a photoshop tutorial and shouldn’t be on the site. Save this for the smashing magazines of the world and leave this site geared toward its main focus. When you go this far off course, you’re destined to lose your base.
Darrin September 19th
Aye Badges.
Make Design, Not War September 19th
It’s funny - I’m a huge fan of little buttons like these even though I’ve just never been the type to wear ‘em myself. Still, there’s just something about a little bite of good design on a real item I can put in my hands that makes me smile. Thanks for a neat little post. MakeDesign,NotWar
Chris Husein September 19th
Reminds me a little bit of the movie office space, with all those pieces of flair
Lawrence77 September 19th
how these stuffs related to Photoshop tutorials…
Anyway the POVERTY SOLVING BUTTONS are so nice to see…
Lawrence77 September 19th
Sean Hodge – PSDTUTS editor i hope…
But hereafter don’t post like this, its totally waste…
it is usually seen in any forum sites, i don’t except here…
Improve your quality not your quantity…
THANKS..
laranz.joe@gmail.com (LAWRENCE)
Lawrence77 September 19th
Sean Hodge: I don’t want to irritate you…
Here also a very cute (rare)collection of buttons…
You are always stunning…
If anything i said wrong i ask only one word is SORRY…
Saswata September 19th
What happened to Lawrie? And then Sean is accepting these comments!
LOL
Dainis Graveris September 19th
I see that Solving Poverty contest will be full of great entries! Thanks for inspiration, I hope I will have time to create my own badge too!
Kris September 19th
Wow.. buttons. I no longer really like buttons. For some odd reason I had hoped that this would be an an article on HOW to create a good button for print by using photoshop.. not the longest list of buttons (yes some of them are quite nice) ever assembled in one space outside of Flikr.
Nice buttons.. now on to the tutorials.. or articles with substance.
Bryan Grajales September 19th
omg what a waste of time….
just go to the store and find a button…
Not interesting… just a waste of Time..
Matt September 19th
Inspiration is never a waste. Keep these coming!
NaldzGraphics September 19th
nice list.they look great.
Ronald
Muffenz September 19th
I was hoping for a more tutorial like post, this shouldn’t be here.
Anyways there are some funny buttons…
Joefrey Mahusay September 19th
Great collection.
Sam September 19th
I want those pantone buttons!!!
insic September 19th
Cool badges. I want one.
Shane September 19th
OK, so this isn’t a tutorial that’ll tutor you in the creation of a big swirl or crazy effect, but hey, it’s an interesting read, and the buttons are interesting and perhaps a source of inspiration for some.
One post that’s a bit different and people start ‘flying off the handle’. Chill out people!
Nordhav September 19th
Pantone buttons for the people!
http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Pantone-Badge-Concept/98809
Meh, concept still
Owz September 19th
Thanks for this..
Some great inspiration…
I really like the solve poverty buttons…
Dawn September 19th
I think I may have had a Canada’s Wonderland button like that one when I was a kid…
Lawrence77 September 20th
hai “Saswata”
Good or bad we must take this is the key point to Success…
Here i hope SEAN HODGE is follow the same principal too…
Hai SEAN HODGE, here is a huge rare collection of buttons I’M LOVING IT…
Felix September 20th
Hey,
#
really love the Pantone one
MONSTER September 20th
Kisk-A$$ post!
Binaryseraph September 20th
Yeah, cool buttons. Too bad hipsters are destroying their awesomeness.
Sam September 20th
This is a fantastic post.
It might not fit into the usual, but what does that matter?
I enjoyed reading it, and have got some inspiration for making some buttons of my own.
manu September 20th
I like this list, very unusual and different from others.
Nice way to take a break.
Love malhotra September 20th
I like it. Its cool
hiperkarma September 20th
I want all of them
Thanks
ALL OF THEM!
Love malhotra September 20th
I like it. Its cool. i love it
treetippitak September 21st
I like it, good idea. But i wish i knew about the contest… i think i would win making a badge.
Qbrushes September 21st
Nice collection of button there
Robin September 22nd
You have just the minimal amount of flair here. I thought you wanted to express yourself?
socoduce September 22nd
We don’t need no stinking badges!
Sorry , had to do it!
Sean Hodge September 23rd
Thx for all the comments. Good luck to everybody in the Button Design Contest.
There are a couple questions about the relevancy of this post and I’ll certainly consider the criticism, though I’ll answer the questions breifly. This post is meant to serve as a resource for inspiration in the Button Design Contest going on now. Also, it ties into the Button Design Tutorial here on PSDTUTS, http://psdtuts.com/photo-effects-tutorials/photoshop-button-maker/
Thanks.
Plaza September 23rd
Anyone knows the typography of the “pink” Solving Poverty button?
Thanks!
CJM September 24th
Nice. I especially dig the turntable buttons.
Brian Yerkes September 25th
Added my entry to the flickr pool, any comments would be much appreciated!
http://twitpic.com/d1rc
Dirk November 1st
check http://www.your-button.de
for some more cool badges!
buttonFREAK December 16th
You are looking for some other great buttondesigns? Check http://www.stylebutton.de
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