Let’s face it, most – but not all – of US state flags are pretty awful. You run across an occasional exception, like New Mexico or Maryland, but they’re mostly a dreary lot that are hard to tell apart. In this video, I’m going to go through all of them, indicate which ones don’t have to be changed, and then suggest redesigns for the ones that do. These won’t all be my own designs – if a flag can be saved by a small change, I’ve done that; if there’s an historical flag that could be adopted or readopted, I’ve suggested it, and if someone else has suggested a new design that I like, I’ve gone with that. For the remainder (and for a few with good redesigns by others) I’ve designed my own. New flags are low on the list of priorities of state legislatures, and it’s tough to get anyone to pay attention. But a good flag can serve as a branding of a state, encouraging tourism and a sense of pride. One can be surprisingly effective in creating or improving a state’s identity. Just look at how widespread the Texas flag is.
If you can’t get your state to redesign its flag, do it yourself. Sometimes changes come from the grassroots. Just start flying your new design and encourage others to do so. If enough people do that, it’ll become the new state flag by default. And don’t let your state representatives tell you it would be too expensive to change. Changing flags on state stationery can be done in minutes. Cloth ones can be replaced as they wear out; the world won’t come to an end just because there are two state flags being flown.
So get at it, people.
If you have your own redesigns and have them on-line somewhere, post their URL so we can all have a look.
There are a few mistakes I’ve caught in the video, and probably some I haven’t. When I talk about Michigan’s Zervic flag, I twice get the pronunciation right (if that’s indeed the right one), but the third time it sounds more like “verdict.” Sorry, Mr. Zervic. I say that Colorado’s flag is the only one with the state’s initial on it, but Ohio’s can be said to have an “O” on it; I don’t know if that’s official, but there it is. The history of Kansas’s “State Banner” is a little more complex than I say.
Sorry if some of the slides are blurry, or the designs awkwardly lined. I had to work with what I had.
The images of the current flags are all from Wikipedia Commons. The others come from these sites:
Delaware:
Connecticut:
Florida: (Cross of Burgundy)
Georgia:
Idaho:
Illinois:
Indiana:
Michigan:
Minnesota:
Michigan:
Mississippi:
Missouri:
Montana:
Nebraska:
New York:
North Dakota:
Oregon:
Pennsylvania:
South Dakota:
Utah:
Washington:
0 Comments