Custom macro buttons without writing code?
I also tried this and got same results. However, you said all buttons are identical, but each button can be customized. Go to Word Options | Quick Access Toolbar and click on the Modify button to change the icon for each macro. I hope this helps...
I was able to overcome this issue in Word 2010 by creating a Macros Tab using Customize Ribbon, and creating groups on the tab. Within the Groups, I added macros which brought in a macro icon and name of the macro: Normal.Macros.newtest. I then renamed them on the ribbon to reflect what the macro does: test. It seems to work.