Scroll [Buttoneers] so good, like the butter on a muffin (Discount GET!)

VThornheart

I was told that someone needed to start the button thread... so let's get these buttons started!

...What is this?

"Buttoneering" is the acquisition and collection of custom buttons created by Penny Arcade forum-goers who also go to PAX Prime. The tradition was started... when was it? 2008? Either way, it was started by fellow forumer RedHalo, and continues to this day!

(I'm going to copy/paste most of this from last year, let me know if anything needs to be added! (I'm META copying and pasting - I'm copying and pasting from eye-shuh's copy and paste last year! Woot!))

For those new to this, we use buttons depicting our forum avatars (or any unique picture/logo with your handle) as a means of identifying each other in the swarms of people at PAX. Only, like everything else PAX related, we take it to the next level of nerdism buying our buttons in bulk and then trading them one for one with each other. Just like Pokemon. We had some fantastic designs last year, lets see if we can top them this round?

Feel free to post pictures of your designs, but remember: the size limit for inline images (even behind spoilers) is 500KB. Please remember to link larger images or shrink your images down before posting them. The thread will be skimmed and pics added to the OP.

REMEMBER, in order to show up on this list you must register and post your buttons at our official buttoneering site:

BUTTONEERING!.org


Where can I get buttons made?

For the best service and price we have found previously that Purebuttons.com is hard to beat.

Purebuttons agreed to give us a deal again because they're epic! The code is forthcoming: be patient, young button samurai! Your time will come.

1.5" seems to be a good button size, easy to clasp, plenty of face without being too big, but feel free to go with whatever size or shape you like.

You will definitely be able to give away 100 buttons. 100-150 is a good number if you're just starting out. If you're especially social or willing to give away your buttons to people who weren't able to create any, but collecting anyway (it happens), then 200 is probably a good amount. I mad 150 last year and had about 10 left over.

On the page for each button size at Purebuttons they have a link to a template for making your own button. I have linked the 1.5" button. The black line is the full size of the image you should fill in. The dashed line defines the area that you will see on the front of the button. The space between the lines will end up being the folded edge of your buttons so you'll want to keep anything important out of that area but keep some kind of color/design continuous across the entire area within the black line.

I Herd U Leik Discounts

PBPAX2011 - The discount code graciously given to us by Pure Buttons! Use it or lose it!

Frequently asked questions:

Spoiler:

Q. Why do you only list Purebuttons.com as a source of buttons? Are you banging the owner?
You are free to have your buttons made by anyone, make them your self if you'd like. Our prior experience shopping around last year has shown that you really can't beat the price Purebuttons offers for buttons in bulk. If you can, let us know your insider info.

Q. How do I get a button? What are these "bonus buttons"?
The buttons fall in to two categories, the "avatar" or "main" buttons, and the "bonus" variety. While there are no set rules for trading them, these general guidelines are encouraged:
- Avatar buttons should be traded for other Avatar buttons, with no challenges or criteria expected to be fulfilled other than you are both Buttoneers.
- Bonus buttons may (or may not!) have special criteria for receiving them, and may go to people outside the button game who fulfill the criteria. This could be a challenge ("What is the flightspeed of an unladen swallow?"), a requirement ("You must be a member of the CEOs of America Club"), or one may just ask for one (remember to say "Please").

Q. I want to make people stand on their head, nude, while singing "Yankee Doodle" to receive my buttons! Can't I do that?
It is perfectly within your rights, but don't expect many people to trade their buttons back with you.

Q. Do I have to purchase hundreds of buttons to participate?
Purchase as many or as little as you want. As they say the more the merrier, more than likely you will only be able to recieve as many buttons as you have to give. Last year a somewhat active person could easily go through 100+ buttons.

Q. With 55,000+ people, how will I find you all to get my trade on?
Many if not most of us will be attending various community ran events. Feel free to stop by the Pre-PAX Dinner, the Pre-PAX Movie, Pre-PAX Pubcrawl, or the Pre-PAX Breakfast. We'll be there in droves. No one had any problems finding buttons last year. We stand out pretty hard.

Q. I want to make sure I get EVERY SINGLE BUTTON I can, will there be a Buttoneer meetup?
YES. The tentative plan is to meetup right after PAX lets out on Sunday in front of the WTCC. We'll be easy to find, there's gonna be a lot of buttons around. We can finish off our trade lists, and say our goodbyes.

Q. You said this is a game! How do we know who won?
Everyone is a winner! Especially you! You're so special, you know that?

Q. Will I be able to fly with my buttons. Are they considered an instrument of death?
As confirmed by the US TSA and experiance from last year, 1' -1.5' buttons are not classified as an instrument of death even if you have a 100, and can be carried on or checked (they did say that depending on the TSA Agent you may be asked [forced at gun point] to check the buttons).
But remember this only applies to people whose flight originates in the US. If you are flying into the US with buttons make sure you check with your TSA equivalent before bringing them on a plane. The TSA people here also highly suggested that you check with US Customs (contact via your local embassy) before you try and bring them into the country (they indicated that the problem isn't with the button it's with what you could be hiding in the button). Recap: If you’re in the US you can fly w/ buttons, if you’re not your probably better off mailing.

Q. I use GIMP for my editing. Did anyone make a GIMP template?
Yes! JonXP made an awesome template!

The Great Buttoneering Meetup:

Let's do this nice and informally. The Button Meetup will be on Sunday after the closing of the Omegathon, just outside of the front doors of the convention center. It'll be a "come as you are, stay as long as you want, leave whenever" kind of thing that'll mostly consist of trading until you run out of buttons!


Button App:

JonXP has finished his great creation! When you finish your button, post it on the official buttoneering website (see the giant orange link above!):

Features:

• Upload your buttons and see everyone else's
• Easily track the ones you've collected
• Lots of cool filters and sorting to help you find the button you're looking for
• Makes VThornheart's life easier by exporting the button list in BBCode format
• Keep up with your collection from year to year, event to event, so you can see just how much awesome you've seen

This way, we have a very convenient way for everyone to see the buttons and hopefully build upon it with butonneering apps and the like!

So sign up, (make sure to use your forum name from here!), check your email for the confirmation, and then upload your artwork.

Click here for the shortcut to the button list for this year's PAX

Officially registered buttons:

Spoiler:

Go to the website for the list: it's become so long that it won't fit in the post! It's 3000 characters too long and growing!

Are you not on the list? Then you didn't sign up at http://buttoneering.org, so do it right away!

AltDelete

Woo! Buttontime

Spoiler:

Poser? Time traveler? Pin this bad boy to your flannel and prove you were there seven years before it existed.

Wingedillidan

I'm in again.. a lot of things from those buttons I made.. including a free bus ride :3 (the driver was really nice). Design coming soon.

Heleor

I'm in. Will have some suitably interesting button design, hopefully standing out from everyone!

The PAX Pokemon League is in times about 20 as well, but you have to defeat them for that.

Jenny_Spaghetti

I'm in. I'm so pax-anxious, I actually did a button mock-up like 2 weeks ago.

CaptainTapole

Yay!!!

I have a couple of ideas for buttons this year. I need to do some things first before I choose which idea.

Brian4120

Buttons? In MY PAX?
It's more likely than you think.

zerzhul

This is shaping up to be my first Prime... a button, I must make.

contrefait

I am totally in again.

I think I'm going to do a limited edition Prime 2011 button and then bring the rest of my other buttons from previous years to fill out. I have lots.

beta_angel

I will be participating as well.

Where's GalFriday? We're gonna need her radness!!

Decius

OMG OMG Buttons!

The superior trading paradigm.

pfft cards.

akjak

I'm in... Design to come later.

PeasantDave

I'm in!

basicallygeek

Buttons? Buttons!

chaosisorder

I have a button already... because it is PAX time NOW.

Spoiler:

Also, I think I'm going to print some Avery labels and stick them on the back with my steam id, etc. I love the trading card since it makes it easier to find folks but I don't want to text clutter my button. And since I obviously have some time on my hands *cough already finished button image cough*, I think sticking a few hundred labels on buttons might while away the hours until PAX.

Is it PAX yet?




Is it PAX yet, now?

VThornheart

LOL! I love it AltDelete! =) For the alternate reality time traveling hipster in all of us. =)

Okay, hold up a bit on the discount code... apparently I've got to go snag it. I'll get it up asap!

LTAcosta

Of course I'm in again

jenelle

I was actually thinking about button designs a couple days ago, and thinking it was strange to be concerned about it so soon. I'll get to work straight away!

ollee

At Pax East this year, my community were actually giving out awesome face buttons, pending whether i can make it to Pax Prime, I will prolly have them again, only more of them.

redhalo

Of course I'm in.

Steel Fire

I'm in. It might take me months to come up with a design so I should get started now.

heels

Maybe this year I will create a button...

JonnyNero

I'm not in this year.

This message brought to you by opposite day

Yamara

I'll be buttoning again, and bringing spares of my Metroid/Samus buttons that didn't get much visibility last year. For this year I'm thinking MegaMan, but I'm still looking for inspiration for a second button.

I've usually got a bit of time here or there, if someone has a button idea but not the skills to get it together.

I never got a copy of the chocobo button I made for asgaga last year. I'd love to trade someone some of my past buttons for a copy.

VThornheart

Yay buttons! =)

Yay Coupons!

PBPAX2011

Qs23

Shit... How the heck am I supposed to top last year's buttons?

Side note: Anybody want to give me a job so I can go to PAX this year?

SmallLady

Yamara is designing me a button of PURE EVIL.



be warned.

Moe Fwacky

I'm in as always.

Initially, I was going to bring all of my leftovers from years past, but now that I have a new avatar I feel I should make new buttons with this on them.

These might be limited edition though. Fifty of my current avatar, then a bag full of leftovers. We'll see how it goes down.

Snipethewolf

Buttons! I wanted to do this so bad last year but didn't have time, and this year I might not make it to PAX... :cry:


But I will make buttons anyway! Even if I have to ship them to someone to give out!

Rayman

Yes...I am in again.

VThornheart

Qs23 wrote: »

Shit... How the heck am I supposed to top last year's buttons?

Side note: Anybody want to give me a job so I can go to PAX this year?

Ack! =( =(

hml151

I'm thinking about doing this for the first time, but I want to make sure my design goes well with the button. I get asked for the last three years if I'm a button trader due to the large button collection on my bag. I figure this year I can trade buttons out and do cookie brigading at the same time. Are there any suggestions from the pros on making the image right before sending to the company to finish?

Rayman

Qs23 wrote: »

Shit... How the heck am I supposed to top last year's buttons?

Side note: Anybody want to give me a job so I can go to PAX this year?

If you don't show up we are really going to be asking "Where's Waldo?!"

MarySue

Last year I attended PAX for the first time. There were several things I was later sorry I hadn't participated in.

So you suckers are all getting buttons from me this year.

Once I teach myself to art and draw something.

Jenny_Spaghetti

This is what I have at this point, though I don't know how I feel about it. Will probably redo it half a dozen times before I settle on something. At least I have time for that this year.

EDIT: FAIL. *facepalm* Fixed.

EDIT AGAIN: I fibbed. This is my button now.

Spoiler:

Moe Fwacky

Your image is causing a login prompt

Infidel

It was discussed last year to have a page/app to display and track buttons and buttoneers.

I'm working on that now and we have a plan already, but I'm open to having the thread make suggestions on how it should work or what you would like to see, maybe someone has a brilliant idea! At the moment it's a webpage to upload/browse the button design images, and a checklist version once PAX week hits for you to track your progress. Maybe a short newsfeed for announcing button related events?

And my design, I will really have to think on it, fourth year running!

(How the hell do people have leftovers, I'm always running out and the meetup kills them for sure.)

contrefait

Some of us buy too many or miss part of the meetup for other things.

VThornheart

Sweet Infidel, that'd be awesome!

King of Mars

Qs23 wrote: »

Side note: Anybody want to give me a job so I can go to PAX this year?

I'm in the same boat, but I reserved a hotel room just in case. I'm about ready to go work at McDonald's or some shit just until I earn enough money for Prime.

Apparently, a college degree is worthless around here.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I'm tentatively in on this.

SwordMage

I'm planning on doing it, as is my husband.

However, of more interest is the fact that we'll be traveling with a stuffed green frog. His name is Waffle, and he came to PAXPrime last year, and got lots of photos. This year - you get a photo with him, you'll get a button...