It’s Election Time: A Guide to Campaign Buttons June 24 2015

Well Canada, this is an election year. While we don’t know what day we will be headed to the polls to vote in the next federal election, we do know that buttons will be part of the plan for many candidates.

Buttons actually have a long history of being used by politicians during election campaigns. Abraham Lincoln and his opponents used a precursor to the pinback button in their election campaigns as far back as 1860.

So if you are running for office or involved as part of an election team for anyone running in the upcoming federal elections, you might want to think about using custom election buttons during your campaign.

Here are some ways that buttons can be used for political campaigns:

1) Identifying volunteers canvassing on behalf of the electoral candidate or political party
2) Low cost promotional hand-outs for supporters to wear and share along the campaign trail
3) Branding! Buttons can carry your message/slogan, your name and your colours to help people know who you are and what you stand for. And, if they wear one, it helps them tell others who they are voting for and what they stand for.

Which type of button should you order?

2.25” to 3” round buttons are the most commonly ordered custom campaign buttons, but if you stand for change or simply want to capture peoples’ attention, you might want to consider a more unusual shape (like Oval, Rectangle or Diamond).

What should you include in your design?

That’s really up to you, but common things to be included on a custom campaign button are:
1) The name of the candidate
2) The party he/she represents
3) The riding he/she represents
4) The year of the election
5) The colours of his/her party
6) A declaration of endorsement (usually along the outside/back edge), which declares who has sponsored/paid for the promotional materials and that the person in question is authorized to be campaigning on behalf of that party

Colour matching your party’s colours

We have made buttons for all of Canada’s major political parties so we know that having your buttons match your party’s official colours is very important.

If you are submitting your own design files, but colour matching is crucial, please tell us when you place your order. While we cannot guarantee “colour matching” (due to the limitations of our printers), we do a very good job of getting very close. This does, however, take a bit longer than a regular button job, so give us extra notice and we’ll make sure you get exactly what you want by the date you need it. You may also want to consider getting a physical proof shipped to you. If that is the case, we’ll need at least an extra week of lead time to account for shipping time and any edits that may need to be done before going to production.

Ways to create the design files for your custom button order:

If you are familiar with graphic design and using design programs, you can check out our free design templates.

If you aren’t a designer, you should check out the easy-to-use and free online button design software Button Designer.

We also provide design services and can create top notch campaign button designs for you in house. Pricing runs from $15 - $60 per design.

Want to make your own campaign buttons?

Here are some button maker kits that will make traditional sized campaign buttons:

If you already have a button maker, make sure you are well stocked with all the button parts you need when an election is called.

Not sure what you need, but just know you want to be election-ready?

We have lots of experience producing quality buttons in high volumes, have fast turnaround times, and ship all over Canada and beyond! Give us a call today and we can help you get what you need.