Throughout history the campaign button has changed sizes several times.
Image Source: Wikipedia
As we explained in our recent campaign button history post, Abraham Lincoln was the first Presidential candidate to actively use campaign buttons to promote himself and his running mate; his buttons were round, as you can see to the right.
But other candidates in other elections have used varying shapes and sizes in an attempt to be different and stand out from the crowd.
The question is, which shape and size campaign button is right for you?
Here is the great thing: today, with so many options available and all of them easy to make, your imagination is the only limit as to the size and shape of your campaign buttons.
Obviously round campaign buttons are the most popular, but square and rectangle campaign buttons have gained some steam as a unique, eye-catching size that easily separates itself from the cadre of round buttons we usually see.
Plus, square and rectangle sizes have the added bonus of being able to double for name tags. Thus, if you want square or rectangle name tags, you can also create square or rectangle campaign buttons and use the same machine and supplies!
But let’s get down to brass tacks. Here is a quick rundown of different round and square/rectangle buttons sizes, plus the benefits of each.
Round Button Sizes:
- 1” pins are great for shirts, hats and lapels
- 1.5” buttons are a novelty size great for jackets, book bags, etc.
- 2.25” buttons are not too small, not too big; the perfect complement for almost any campaign promotion activity.
- 3” and 3.5” buttons are the most popular for campaigns as you can fit a candidate’s image and write text around the button to get the message out.
- Giant 6” buttons may be a bit large for some tastes, but they certainly get the most attention!
Square/Rectangle Buttons Sizes:
- 1.75″ x 2.75″ buttons work great if you want a rectangular pinback button.
- 2″ x 2″ square buttons also work nicely with a pinned back for use on clothing or hats.
- 2″ x 3″ rectangular buttons are obviously a little bit bigger and can be pinback buttons or nice refrigerator magnets. Additionally, the 2″ x 3″ button size has photo button possibilities!
The key is to decide exactly what effect you are going for, where you hope people wear/display the buttons, and what fits best with your message.
At American Button Machines, we offer comprehensive campaign button kits to help get you going. Try one out today!
**********
* – Bill Clinton campaign button credit: DJ Political
Brighid Brown – Director of Blogging and All Things Cool at ABM