Update July 17 2011.
We are moving forward again. See here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=106114.msg1201693#msg1201693------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This thread is for the design discussions and proposals regarding the FRONT side of the 2011 BYOAC token.
We are designing .984" (25mm) tokens. So that all entries are judged equally, submissions should be in grayscale only, without bling. (Bling refers to color, photorealistic renderings. If we get a volunteer to bling all entries at the end equally, we can do that.) White should indicate the lowest point of the token, black the highest. If you want to show partial-height details use shades of gray, Different levels of gray are OK. Of interest as you design, the 'lowest' or 'deepest' point on the token will usually be shiny because it doesn't require machining.
So that those of us who are not Photoshop Gurus are given a fair shot , no 'blinged' renderings should be posted.
Guidelines/Rules-No R-Rated material
-No trademarked or copyrighted images. (Pacman, etc...)
-MAME references are OK though, we have approval to use the logo if we like as long as we respect the spirit of MAME - i.e. no references to playing thousands of games, etc.
-No Bling - refer to the 2004 thread below to see how blinged line art turns out.
-Should display "Build Your Own Arcade Controls" (or at least "BYOAC") and the
www.arcadecontrols.com URL because BYOAC is the whole point of the tokens.
-If at all possible you should have your art in vector format. (Adobe Illustrator AI for example.) Next best is very high-res raster (Hi-res meaning greater than or equal to 300DPI,) but I discourage it because we have always used vector with superb results. Low-res artwork won't work, you will need to have someone fix it up for you.
-Vector fonts need to be converted to curves.
- .002" is the absolute minimum line width. While lines can be reproduced at this scale, text may not be readable for being too small.
-The 'lowest' or 'deepest' point on the token will usually be shiny because it doesn't require machining.
-Keep in mind that almost 30% of my customers are outside the USA, so specific references to US currency, flags, etc may hurt your chances of winning.
-If you are submitting what you consider your final proposal, please say so in your post. Otherwise we will assume you are submitting it for group discussion and tweaking.
This is a good sample from 2004:

I like to sketch my ideas first and I am awful at freehanding circles so I created a template that is just a page full of circles. I have attached it if anyone wants to use it.

Here are previous years' threads for reference.
2010 Front2010 Back2007 Back 2006 Front2006 Back2005 Front2005 Back2004 combined threadFinal Designs must be submitted to this thread no later than October 24, Midnight Eastern Time. This is a strict deadline so that we don't wind up delivering the tokens after the holidays.
After that date I will create voting threads with the final entries.