Cool Hunting

Brian Janusiak and Elizabeth Beer of Various Projects are up to their creative collaboration shenanigans once more, this time with a series of 1" pins in support of the Democratic presidential campaign. Called the Obama Button Project, it pairs a roster of the couple's many talented friends with the iconic apparel accessory of punk expression. "It started with Elizabeth looking for a good and simple button to wear and realizing that it was not so easy to come by," Janusiak said by email. "So we started making some ourselves and flew through the first two production runs."

After realizing there was a clear demand for the buttons, though a lack of variety in the supply, they took it a step further: "It made us think that in addition to making a bunch more of our initial design, perhaps we should invite some other designers to participate and produce them all... We will continue to invite new designers and produce new buttons throughout the campaign.

Participants include but are not limited to: Jeffrey Lai of JEFF, a design studio in NYC; Christian Marc Schmidt of Pentagram; Various Projects; Natasha Chandani (from left to right at top); Dexter Sinister, a small-print workshop in the Lower East Side (right); and graphic designer Danielle Aubert (far right).

The buttons sell for $1 each and can be purchased through Project No. 8. All proceeds will go to the Obama General Election Campaign.