Laser-cut button veneer for a control device having a backlit keypad

A control device, comprising:

• a translucent carrier portion configured to be backlit by one or more light emitting diodes;
• a button associated with a command communicated by the control device for controlling an external electrical load when the button is actuated;
• a metal veneer disposed on the carrier portion, wherein the veneer includes at least two openings defined therethrough by a laser cutting process, wherein at least one of the openings has a variable width, and wherein the openings define a backlit indicia;
• and
• a filler material disposed in the openings, wherein the filler material is at least one of subsurface or convex relative to a front surface of the veneer, and the filler material improves at least one of an optical performance of the backlit indicia or a readability of the backlit indicia when viewed from off angle.

A method, comprising:

• embossing a metal sheet blank to outline a veneer;
• laser cutting two or more openings through the veneer to define an indicia, wherein at least one of the openings has a variable width;
• laser cutting another set of openings around a portion of the outline so that the veneer is partially cut out from the blank;
• placing filler material into the two or more openings that define the indicia from a rear surface of the veneer;
• and
• attaching the veneer to a translucent carrier portion of a control device, wherein the carrier portion is configured to be backlit by one or more light emitting diodes.