Everybody knows that bands and buttons go hand in hand. For your fans, they're an inexpensive merch item they can wear to show their undying love for your band every day. And for you as a band members, buttons are inexpensive and super easy to customize, even for a design newbie.
But maybe you want to take it a step further and make buttons that'll really stand out from the crowd? We've got two magical words for you: backrim text.
What the heck is backrim text, you ask? Grab your favorite button-- chances are when you look closely at the side there's small writing there along the rim. This is backrim text. Some people also call it "curl text".
Copyright lines often go on the backrim, but you can take it a step further by thinking outside the box about what you want to include back there. Backrim text is a opportunity to add something special to surprise and engage your fans. Read on for our favorite ways to add a little a little awesome to your designs with a backrim text surprise.
Website and Social Media
By utilizing the backrim for your band's social media info, you free up space on the face to focus on a design that's more wearable. Some bands list their website, BandCamp, Facebook, or Twitter handle on the backrim. Even a 1" button has space on the backrim for a short and simple url, but keep in mind that the larger the button, the easier it is to read text on the backrim.
Busy Beaver's own puppet band The MUBs used the backrim of their 1.5" square buttons to add a link to the band's
YouTube video debut.
Tour Memories
Make sure everyone remembers that they picked up your buttons on the "Hotdogs, Hamburgers, and Burglars Tour 2015" by adding it to onto the backrim. Or maybe you have a hashtag you've been using all tour on social media? Put it on the backrim text as a call-to-action for your fans.
To commemorate their obsessive love of watching Seinfeld on tour,
Guantanamo Baywatch created buttons with backrim text honoring their favorite episodes from the series.
Download Code
Another approach is using the backrim text as a download code for your band's music. Using a shortened URL made via a link shortener like Bitly or Ow.ly, you can easily fit the full website on even a small 1-inch button. A button with a secret download code to a bonus track can be used for all sorts of cool promotions-- add one in with online orders for a limited time, give them out to VIPs, or use them for special events.
Backrim text is most legible on square buttons, so if you do decide to add a download code to your button, we suggest going with a square to make things as easy for fans to read as possible.
Unique Backrim Text Ideas
There are no real rules when it comes to what should go on the rim of your button, so there's nothing stopping your backrim text from being as unique as your band is. Chicago punk band The Mons create a different button design for every show they play and put the date of the show on the backrim to commemorate the performance. Ideal Recordings, pictured below, used the backrim as an opportunity to display a cleverly honest tagline.
Pretty cool, huh? You can find more tips on how to make the most of your backrim text here. If you think of another fun way to promote your band using backrim text, drop us a line to let us know!
