We recently posted a new tutorial for the Build-a-Button Online Design Center that shows you the various background options available, plus how to use the new opacity tool for backgrounds, images, text, and shapes.
Watch it, then go build a button!
Author Archives: Brighid Brown
New Product Announcement: Black Velvet Gift Bag and DIY Foldable Purse Hanger
Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is just around the corner, and we’re back with yet another announcement of new products!
This time we have two fun, useful new accessories for your button making and gift-giving pleasure.
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Update: The Best Button Design Software Online Has Been Enhanced
As you are hopefully aware by now, we recently launched the Build-a-Button Online Design Center, which we believe is the best piece of online button making software ever. That was the goal when we set out to design it, and we continue to seek ways to improve it now that is it launched in the free beta testing period.
We are very, very, very appreciative of everyone who has taken the time to use the Build-a-Button application and leave us constructive feedback on what works, what doesn’t, what rocks, and what could be improved. Believe us when we say that we have taken your comments to heart, reading each one carefully, and that is why we want to let you know about the many enhancements – many inspired by you – that have been made to the web’s best button design software in an effort to make the Build-a-Button Online Design Center even better!
The 4 Best Button Submissions by Button Blog Readers
Several months ago, we put a page up here at The Button Blog inviting button enthusiasts like you to submit pictures of the buttons you make. Now that some time has passed and some submissions have been made, it’s time to post some pictures of buttons!
Here are the best of the best button pictures that were submitted, plus the comments and websites of the submitters:
Introducing the Build-a-Button Online Design Center: The Greatest Button Making Software EVER!
Get ready for the greatest software in the history of button making!
There is a saying, and it’s meaning is pretty self-explanatory: Go big or go home.
To us, it means that if you are going to do something you should commit to doing it to the absolute best of your ability. If you are going to create something, spare no expense of money or effort to make it as great as it can be.
And if you’re just going to do something half or even 90% as well as you can do it, why even do it at all?
This was the philosophy that drove the creation, development, and now the unveiling of the Build-a-Button Online Design CenterTM.
You have probably seen other applications similar to this while galavanting about on the Internet. There are a few of them out there. But we can promise you that no other button creation web app is as robust or versatile as ours is. Otherwise we wouldn’t bother releasing ours.
Go big or go home..remember?
So what makes the Build-a-Button Online Design CenterTM so special? Why do we feel 100% confident in proclaiming it the “greatest web application in the history of button making?” Here are some of the features we are most excited about:
Speed
The application takes a few seconds to load and then moves with real-time quickness from there.
Text in a circle
Anyone who has designed buttons with text understands how tricky it can be to properly format text in a circle. The Build-a-Button Online Design Center makes this easy!
Images
We give you the ability to upload multiple images up to 5MB in size. Then, via the design center, you can resize, move left, right, up and down, and rotate it 360 degrees in one degree increments.
Templates
You don’t need to bring anything with you to this party; we’ve got templates already made and loaded for you!
And included in the templates is one that assists in making political buttons. Go get those votes!
Button Sizes
There are over 20 possible button sizes that you can choose from, including various shapes. Here is the breakdown of what sizes and shapes are available:
- Round: 7/8, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.25, 3, 3.5, 6, BAM 2.25 and BAM 3*
- Square: 1 x 1, 1.5 x 1.5, 2 x 2, 2.5 x 2.5, and 3 x 3
- Rectangle: 1.75 x 2.75, 1.5 x 4.5, 2 x 3, and 2.5 x 3.5
- Oval: 1.75×2.75
(Note: all sizes listed in inches.)
* – Yes! We offer BAM 2.25″ and 3″ templates so customers with Badge-a-Minit machines can use our software!
Layers
You have the ability to overlay images and text and then move them forward or backwards in the layer structure. This gives you the opportunity to produce a much richer, diverse, layered design. You might think you’d need to go to Photoshop to do this, but we’ve got you covered!
Colors
You have granular control of the background color, the text color, and the outline color of the text.
Shapes
You can add interesting design elements to your button with the Build-a-Button Design Center shapes tool. You can add hearts, stars, squares, rectangles, ovals, arrows, and straight lines. You can also change the size, thickness, color of line, and fill color.
Format Options
You can save your artwork as jpg or pdf file formats. You can select how many images you save per page (1- 24, depending on the button size) to save on ink and toner. Or you can fill up an entire page for larger productions.
Paint Tool
You can draw freehand right on the button!
Color Picker
You have the ability to select a specific color and display the color’s hexidecimal or RGB value.
For these options and so much more, the Build-a-Button Online Design CenterTM, created for you by American Button Machines, is the best web application in the history of button making. And if you don’t believe us now, just wait until you use it!
You’ll most certainly believe us then.
So what are you waiting for…go to http://build-a-button.com and try it out!
Button making will never be the same…
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Finally, please understand that the initial release will be a Beta launch, as we want to give you the opportunity to test the Build-a-Button Online Design CenterTM out so you can a) help us uncover any bugs and b) tell us what features you’d like added to it. Obviously your use will be free of charge during the Beta period as we perfect the product.
Brighid Brown – Director of Blogging and All Things Cool at ABM
4 Essential Tips for Designing Effective and Memorable Campaign Buttons
Fall is election time, and we are nearing the heart of it now as the final days of September approach and October, then November, beckon. We already supplied you with tips for actually making and displaying campaign buttons, plus three tips specific to elementary school campaign buttons.
In this post, we provide you with four essential tips for designing the most effective and memorable campaign buttons possible.
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Back to School Tip for Teachers: Teach Business and Have Fun with…Buttons!
As you are probably aware, it is now September. This means a number of things: in most areas of the country it means that leaves will start changing colors; it also means that both college and professional football are set to begin new seasons while baseball winds another long one down; it also means that shorts and tank tops are replaced by jeans and wind breakers.
And, most importantly, it means that kids are back to school. (Hence the “B2S” in the title…our attempt to start the next “LOL” or “BTW”. So pass it on…)
Another year of school starting means that teachers across the country are looking for new classroom activities that can not only hold students’ attention but also teach them valuable lessons. For any teachers out there looking for an innovate way to teach math, teamwork, business concepts, and even simple economics, we have the perfect idea.
Yep, you guessed it: buttons! (What were you expecting? Textbooks? Ha!)
Sports Photo Buttons – Why Sports Buttons are Great Fundraisers for High Schools
In an article earlier today, we discussed some creative fundraising ideas for schools. The response to this post was so positive that we wanted to break out a few of the ideas and deal with them individually. So today we are going to discuss the wonderful world of sports photo buttons; and specifically, why sports buttons are great fundraisers for high schools.
If you have ever gone to a high school football or basketball game, you have probably seen multitudes of women covered in decorative photo buttons. Typically, the buttons will have either the school logo, or pictures of athletes or cheerleaders, which are presumably their children. The photo buttons are usually brightly colored and feature close-up shots of the athletes and are a great way to show support for a school or child.
What many savvy high school athletic departments have found out, but that others may not realize, is that these sports photo buttons are easy and cheap to make and can return a very nice ROI as a fundraising product.
Tips For Making and Displaying Campaign Buttons
Campaign season is upon us, which means that the making and displaying of campaign buttons is a matter of urgent importance to anyone running for office this fall. Fortunately for all of the candidates (old and young) and campaign managers out there, we just so happen to be experts at guiding you along the campaign button making process.
In fact, we have touched on the topic of making campaign buttons before, right here at The Button Blog. Here is our post on how to make a campaign button, which we posted for last year’s campaign season but which continues to be relevant this year.
In case you don’t want to read the whole thing, a quick summary:
3 Campaign Button Making Tips for Elementary School Kid Campaigns
One of the most exciting experiences for an elementary school kid is participating in his or her first campaign. In some schools, campaigns for class president, vice president, and treasurer begin as early as third grade! What makes these experiences extra special for the kids is when the adults treat them as “real” as possible.
And if we’re writing about it here on The Button Blog, you know that can only mean one thing: it’s time to talk campaign buttons! And this time, we’re talking about them for the kiddos, not the adults.
So what kinds of things should you keep in mind when it comes to creating campaign buttons for elementary school campaigns? There are three pretty basic ones, and we discuss them in this post.