Stolen Buttons
The Art of Button Heists
By Anatoly Zenkov
"Every website I visit, I 'steal' a button from it."
This project is a curated archive of Call-to-Action (CTA) elements harvested from across the web. It is a study in user interface patterns, linguistic variations, and the psychology of the "click."
🛠 The Acquisition Process
The workflow for expanding this library is a simple, iterative loop:
📚 The Stolen Catalog
The following elements have been "borrowed" from various digital interfaces, ranging from e-commerce stores to professional software suites.
🔐 Authentication & Account Management
These buttons handle the gateway to user profiles and security.
| Language | Action | Label |
|---|---|---|
| English | Entry | Log In / Sign In / Sign Up |
| German | Entry | Anmelden / Einloggen/Registrieren |
| English | Creation | Register now / Create a post |
| English | Exit | Abmelden / Log out |
| English | Social | Connect with Google / Continue with Facebook |
🛒 Commerce & Transactions
Buttons designed to drive revenue and facilitate the movement of goods.
- Direct Purchase:
Shop now,Buy 2 Image Pack,In den Warenkorb(Add to cart). - Cart Management:
WARENKORB FÜR DEN SOMMER(Summer Shopping Cart),Hinzufügen(Add). - Pricing:
Preise sehen(See prices),Abo auswählen(Select subscription). - Special Offers:
Start free trial,1 month trial,Upgrade to Plus.
ℹ️ Information & Exploration
Elements that guide the user toward deeper knowledge.
- Discovery:
Learn more,Find out more,Mehr erfahren,Entdecken(Discover). - Navigation:
Overview,Visit Reddit,Browse components $\rightarrow$,See all symptoms. - Documentation:
See MLA Style Guide,Select MLA.
⚙️ Technical & System Controls
Utility buttons used for configuration and maintenance.
- System:
Refresh grid,Reset,View All,Close,Decline,Accept. - User Roles:
Users roles,Join the team,Accept invitation. - Analytics:
Learn about Heatmaps,Analyse.
🔍 Case Study: Specialized UI
The "Auto-Ink" Logic
One particular "steal" involves a sophisticated printer utility:
AUTO-INK DELIVERY
The system detects when ink or toner is low. By signing up for free, the user ensures automatic replacement delivery.
CTA: Registrieren Sie sich jetzt (Register now) Shop besuchen (Visit shop).
Product Descriptions
Some buttons are tied to specific product metadata, such as the Schulranzen Timeless (a classic, lightweight school bag) or the Airpaq 16.
- Action:
Mehr Informationen(More information) /Konfig.(Configure).
🎨 Design Implementation
To recreate the "feel" of these stolen buttons, one might use a CSS snippet like this:
.stolen-button {
padding: 10px 20px;
border-radius: 4px;
font-weight: bold;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background 0.3s ease;
}
Visual References
Below are some of the visual anchors encountered during the "heists":
Regionality:
(Svenska)
Brand Integration:
(Adobe After Effects / Facebook)
Iconography:
📈 The UX Formula
The effectiveness of these buttons can be modeled by the probability of a user clicking based on the clarity of the label () and the visual prominence ():
✅ Designer's Checklist
- Collect diverse languages (English, German, Swedish).
- Capture various intents (Sale, Info, Auth).
-
Ignore boring buttons(Actually, keep everything). - Organize by functional category.
Final miscellaneous fragments: No Reject, All, You Contact and basic info, People to Hire, Assets $\rightarrow$ get in touch, Online abschließen, Themen, Beschreibung, 1x, Show top replies, 1 Reply, Yes 👍, Good, I'm satisfied, Good, Save, 每日分享, Contact us, Appointments, Kundenkonto löschen.