Maybe you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, the annual creative-writing challenge in which participants attempt to churn out a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. Maybe you’ve participated before. Or maybe you’d rather stab your eyes out with an ice pick than attempt to write 1,667 words a day for 30 days. I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo four times, and each time it was a grueling, soul-crushing affair. I love writing, but NaNoWriMo is such a relentless grind that I’ve skipped it the last two years and not missed it.

I first saw the movie Amadeus in high school. We watched it in band class (that’s how schools roll in rural Texas). I came away from the movie thinking (a) brief, fast-forwarded-through nudity — awesome and (b) it sucks to be Salieri.

Being the proud owner of multiple button machines, I’ve fabricated more than my fair share of round promotional items. In my eight years of button-making, I’ve seen a lot of great designs and a metric ton of absolutely terrible ones. When used as a promotional tool, your button is basically like your business card — it represents you and your brand. So why not put forth the extra effort to make your buttons look amazing? Here are a few pointers to help you avoid the most common pitfalls I’ve seen in my years as a buttonatrix. And these rules don’t just apply to buttons; whether you’re putting together a design for a shirt, a coffee mug or a business card, you need to pay attention to what you’re doing.