The Button Bastard

Handcrafted arcane pin-back buttons

The Button Bastard is a design-driven project focused on the creation of handcrafted pin-back buttons rooted in dark, arcane, and deliberately obscure visual language. Conceived as a physical extension of Vespertine Offering’s aesthetic concerns, the project translates symbolism and provocation into small, tactile objects.

The designs span a broad thematic spectrum — from occult and mythological references to imagery that ventures into more depraved and sexually nefarious territory. Each button is carefully composed, embracing ambiguity and confrontation without resorting to excess. A unifying element throughout the series is a restrained yet uncompromising palette: every design is immersed in shadow-drenched black, allowing form, symbol, and suggestion to take precedence.

Although modest in scale, The Button Bastard was approached with the same attention to intent and craftsmanship found in larger Vespertine Offering projects. Each badge was conceived not merely as merchandise, but as a compact visual statement — a quiet marker for the like-minded and the curious.

Project status

The Button Bastard is currently frozen for an indefinite period.

This pause is intentional and reflects a broader reassessment of timing, focus, and creative direction. The project is neither abandoned nor concluded; it simply rests until conditions allow for a meaningful continuation.

As with other dormant projects within Vespertine Offering, its future remains open — whether through revival, recontextualisation, or transformation into a different form.