Here is the end result we are looking to achieve with this tutorial:







Let’s get started!

1. Open a new file in Photoshop by selecting File (upper left) > New… Your dimensions can be of any size, but for the purpose of the tutorial I am going to use 500px by 500px. Color the background any color you wish.






2. Set up a grid and rulers so that you can easily create a good looking circle (this is really up to you; you can skip this step if you want) – go to View > Show > Grid. You may also set your rulers to help you with your circle – go to View > Rulers. You will see the Rulers pop out of the Top and Left margins of your interface; to use them, simply click on the white ‘ruler’ area and drag down (from the top margin), or to the right (from the left margin). Rulers will show up in light blue by default. I set up my Rulers 1 inch from the edge of each margin in my 500X500 space. This will allow you to draw a pretty good looking circle. Ctr + H to get rid of guidelines. Your circle can be of any color as the Style settings will override it – make sure that you work with a color background though, because that’s the color that will ultimately show through.





You’re done with the hardest part! From this point on, it’s just a matter of making several Layer Style adjustments and customizing your message. Follow this tutorial for the last steps.




3. Drop Shadow:
   
   
   
   Inner Shadow:
   
   
   
   Inner Glow:
   
   
   
   Gradient Overlay:




4. Make an elliptical selection and drag a white/clear gradient from top to bottom (adjust Opacity to about 40%). Use the Transform function (Ctrl + T) to rotate about 45 degrees and move towards the upper right corner. Using the pen tool draw and trace the two highlights as shown below:




5. Add a text layer with your message and you’re done!

If you missed the button template at the beginning of the tutorial, you can Download the PSD Button Template HERE.



Sign up for the RSS feed to receive frequent tutorial updates. The next tutorial will encompass the image and HTML aspects of making your button interactive, and I hope to publish it in the first week of June.



Thanks for visiting the Pledge For Moms project – and happy posting!

“If the same number of people were killed for belonging to a certain ethnic group or special group, for being black, Jewish or indigenous, people would react differently. But they are women, and unfortunately people are desensitised.”

I think that the biggest challenge the organization faces is reaching out to a predominantly male population that currently controls the government and the media, as can be plainly seen in the example provided by Susan Chiarotty, coordinator of CEVI, in regard to a sexist Volkswagen commercial. The commercial aired featuring a battered woman as a marketing ploy to motivate people to get their cars fixed at a certain Volkswagen dealership in Brazil. When both CEVI and the Human Right Association protested the ad, they received a very sexist and inconsiderate reaction from a local male journalist:

“These embittered feminists, who probably wear severe clothes and have moustaches and who have not known the glory of God, do not appreciate creativity and have no sense of humour.”

Joking about sexism and feminism is very detrimental to the women’s rights movement (Read more in “The Funny Side of Sexism”), because it adds levity to an issue that is in fact very serious. For too long people in Latin countries have been making misguided excuses to cover up non-domestic violence against women as a crime of passion, love, or honor, when in fact it’s a crime as serious and dangerous to society as any crime against an ethnic or religious group. Cultures entrenched in patriarchal beliefs rooted in education, religion, and government are responsible for the statistics you see below:

<a href= "http://www.pledgeformoms. org"><img alt="I Love Moms" src="http://pledgeformoms.org/ /wp-content/uploads/2009/04/brazil flag button.png" border="0" width="190" length="190"></a>	<a href= "http://www.pledgeformoms. org"><img alt="I Love Moms" src="http://pledgeformoms.org/ /wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mexico flag button.png" border="0" width="190" length="190"></a>	<a href= "http://www.pledgeformoms. org"><img alt="I Love Moms" src="http://pledgeformoms.org/ /wp-content/uploads/2009/04/puerto rico flag button.png" border="0" width="190" length="190"></a>

Other Ways to Help
Help Abroad – MADRE – Over the past 25 years, MADRE has built a network of community-based women’s organizations worldwide. This network encompasses thousands of women and families – in Sudan, Iraq, Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Palestine and elsewhere – who are on the frontlines of our global crisis.
Help at Home – La Casa De Las Madres – Thirty years ago, La Casa de las Madres opened San Francisco’s first domestic violence shelter for women and their children. The once-quiet shelter has grown into the city’s leading voice for abused women, their children and teens—educating, promoting awareness and changing the community’s and the media’s perceptions about domestic violence and its victims.

Unfortunately, violence against women is a still very much a universal issue – even in the very developed countries such as United States (See Violence Against Women (Part I)). However, I sincerely believe that real change can start with just one person – you.