5 Band Button Ideas
Buttons can be great source of revenue and a great marketing tool for bands. It only costs about $300 to get a complete button maker system. It’s not cheap, but it will pay for itself in no time. Not only can you make buttons for your own band, you can also make them for other bands and other organizations.
Below are few ideas on how bands can use buttons to make a little money and generate a little buzz.
- Buttons can be used as a promotional tool. Place your band logo on a button and it’s instantly a free advertisement. Buttons are cheap to make so you can give them away or sell them for a big profit.
- Buy a t-shirt and get a button free. Everyone loves free stuff. Concert t-shirts can be a little expensive; give your fans a little incentive possible by offering them a couple free buttons with the purchase of a t-shirt. You can also give a free button to anyone that purchases an album or spends $10 on other merchandise - the ideas are endless.
- Promote your upcoming album. Put the name and release date of your next album on a button and make the staff at the concert venue wear it.
- Do you play a certain venue or geographic location often? Instead of promoting your next album, promote your next gig by having the staff wear a button that shows when and where your next gig is.
- Is a member of your band artistic? Create a limited edition set of buttons that was designed and signed by a member of your band.
The buttons below were created by Fez to promote their band.
More button making ideas for bands can be found below:
If you’re not interested in making your own buttons, there are a few companies below that specialize in making buttons for bands.
YourBandButtons.com
RockButtons.com
Do you have an idea on how a rock band can use buttons? Please post it in our comment section.
5th Annual Stereohype Button Badge Design Competition
Stereohype.com is holding its annual button design competition.
The entry deadline is February 16, 2009. There are two separate categories - single badge design and set of three.
For some inspiration, you can see a see the winning entries from the past four competitions.
Button Packaging from OneInchRound.com
OneInchRound.com offers a variety of button packaging for button sellers. The company currently offers three different packages.
Here is a list of some of the benefits of the packaging:
- Button Packs are USA Made with domestic materials and RPET plastic
- NO tooling costs when you use our pre existing molds!
- CMYK front / Black back card printing for button packs
- Fold over button sets have Full Color header cards on both sides
- Custom die cutting & button packaging configurations available
One Inch Packaging
1.25″ Button Packaging
Fold Over Button Packaging
Barack Obama’s Official Button Supplier
Buttons can be big business - just ask Tigereye Design. The company is based in Greenville, Ohio and is the main supplier of buttons, yard signs, posters, t-shirts, etc. for Barack Obama’s campaign. How much is that contract worth? Over $6 million and counting.
There is a very intersting article in the Dayton Daily News that profiles this company. For example…
Tigereye had 30 employees when it began the Obama contract in February 2007; now it has 175 workers and Hemminger expects to add 30 more.
The first time we covered this company on this blog was when they made a snafu making an Obama button with a Larry Craig picture on it. But, when you are making that many buttons, your bound to make a few mistakes.
Barack Obama Button Templates
If you would like to use your button machine to make Barack Obama buttons, there are several websites that have templates and graphics ready to be printed out.
A website called Buttons4Obama has a lot of resources available.
Chris Cox over at Change the Thought has several different designs available for download.
Over at Mercer County for Obama, they have button templates available in 2.25″, 1.75″, and 1.25″.
If you have some templates for download, let us know.
Buttons on Display at New York Museum
The Museum of the City of New York has an exhibit through election day that features political buttons and a variety of other political memorabilia. Campaigning for President: New York and the American Election opened on June 24 and has buttons, oil lamps, a George Washington coat button, and more.
New York Museum Features Campaign Memorabilia in Exhibit Through Election Day - Fox News
APIC National Convention
Today is the last day of the 2008 American Political Items Collectors National Convention in Las Vegas.
The New York Times wrote an interesting story about the event and some of the people that attend it. Buttons are not the only political memorabilia collected - you have a Mike Huckabee guitar pick and even a Hillary Clinton change purse.
There is also slideshow of the event available from The New York Times.
Oktoberfest Button
Okbtoberfest in La Crosse, Wisconsin is in its 48th year. The event is a German tradition. The button for the was recently revealed.
The button was designed by Dana Moe, a graphic design student at Western Technical College. Dana is pictured with the winning entry. That may be largest picture of a button I’ve ever seen.
Oktoberfest Button Design Unveiled - WKBT.com
Oktoberfest Button - Official Oktoberfest Website
Button Packaging - Part 1
Every now and then I will post pictures of button packaging. If you have packaging you think should be featured, please let us know.
From WildOlive
From Button Kings
From melissahead designs
Barack Obama / Larry Craig Button Snafu
A button maker in Idaho mistakenly put a picture of Barack Obama and Larry Craig on the same button. You may remember Larry Craig as the Republican U.S. Senator from Idaho who was arrested in airport bathroom for lewd conduct.
Tigereye Design accidently put Craig in the picture instead of Larry LaRocco, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Idaho. Craig is not seeking re-election.
Change Obama can’t believe in; he’s on a ticket with Larry Craig - LA Times
