I like a great flag

And this is a great video on them, embedded from ted.com. Roman Mars of 99 percent invisible (one of my favorite podcasts) goes into detail about what makes a great flag. And plenty of cities that are doing it wrong. The, people who study flags, “The North American Vexillological Society”

1.  Keep It Simple  (The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory)

2.  Use Meaningful Symbolism  (The flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes)

3.  Use 2 or 3 Basic Colors  (Limit the number of colors on the flag to three, which contrast well and come from the standard color set)

4. No Lettering or Seals  (Never use writing of any kind or an organization’s seal)

5. Be Distinctive or Be Related  (Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections)

If you have a few minutes the video is worth the watch. The survey mentioned, looked at two largest cities and the capital of every state, for 150 options.

On that topic of flags, I’d like to expand on the top 10 of the US City Flags:

1. Washington, D.C. Simple and patterned after the actual George Washington’s coat of arms.

2. Chicago, ILBetween the two blue stripes are four red, six-pointed stars arranged in a horizontal row. The stripes represent geographical features of the city, the stars symbolize historical events.

3. Denver, CO Designed by a North Denver high school student, Margaret Overbeck, and adopted in 1926. The colors form a stylized depiction of the sun in a blue sky above snow-capped mountains. Red the colored earth to which the word Colorado refers. The circle’s centered position symbolizes Denver’s central location within the state. The white zigzag symbolizes Colorado’s Native American heritage.

4. Phoenix, AZAccording to legend, Phoenix gets its name from Cambridge-educated pioneer Darrell Duppa, who saw the ruins and prehistoric canals of the Hohokam and believed another civilization would rise from the ashes.

5. St. Louis, MO Chicago’s neighbor to the southwest has the nation’s fifth-best flag, according to the survey. Its wavy blue-and-white lines represent the merging of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

6. Wichita, KS Three red and three white rays alternate from an off-center blue sun. The rays are the path of freedom to come and go as one pleases. The blue disc represents happiness, contentment. Stitched on the blue sun is an Indian symbol for hogan or permanent home.

7. Portland, OR Portland has a flag that matches the city’s reputation for all things organic, with a green background. Blue, white and yellow lines form an off-center star (technically, a “hypocycloid”)

8. IndianapolisThe Indiana capital’s flag symbolizes its position as the “Crossroads of America.”

9. Louisville, KY (former)
The previous flag, used at the time, had stars to represent the 13 states which existed at Louisville’s founding in 1778, while Kentucky was part of Virginia. The fleur-de-lis honor King Louis XVI of France, after whom Louisville was named because France’s support during the American Revolution.

10. Corpus Christi, TX Nicknamed: Sparkling City by the Sea.

Inspired by the TED talk, I made this Animated flag. If you like this I’d like a follow on instagram.com/sharp3d