Elements of Design
Over the years campaign buttons have developed a sense of style and iconography – the images and symbols associated with a specific person or thing – that can be traced from election to election. Many buttons, though decades apart, share similarities in their themes, color schemes, and slogans. What design similarities do you notice?
Colors and Slogans
Red, white, and blue patterns are commonly used on buttons for presidential elections. Often, these colors will be arranged in patterns that reflect the design of the American flag.
Color schemes and design patterns are not the only similarities to be seen on campaign buttons. Many also share similar slogans and phrases. In 1912, Arthur Capper ran for Governor of the state of Kansas. Eighty-two years later, Jim Slattery ran for the same office. Despite being separated by nearly a century, their campaign buttons share a striking resemblance.
In cases where buttons were produced by the same manufacturer, it’s common for opposing candidates to have buttons that look exactly the same. Though the exact manufacturers of these buttons are unknown, it is possible that their similarities are due to sharing the same maker.
Deviating from the Norm
Though many campaign buttons share a sense of style, there are many instances where campaigns deviate from traditional designs. These buttons stand out from the crowd with unusual imagery and color schemes, new slogans, and in some cases, new types of construction.
Although the celluloid button manufacturing process has long dominated the scene, that didn’t stop new forms from being introduced. These included metal tab buttons, meant to be bent and worn over shirt and coat collars, holographic buttons that allowed for multiple images to be worn on a single button, and 3-dimensional metal pins. Though some elements of the design, like color schemes and slogans, remained the same, their form was entirely new.
Many of the buttons used in George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign broke away from the standard patriotic theme and gave in to the popular culture of the 1970’s with rainbows, smiley faces, and symbols of peace and equality.
