Best: Honolulu
Seeing as there are only two municipal flags in the whole state, this one will have to do.
Yeah, it is a little bright. But, you know, I kinda like it. A yellow background is just not something you see every day.
As for that seal, well, at least it does include the coat of arms of the state (and, with one little change, the coat of arms of the former kingdom as well).
Worst: Maui
Wow. This train wreck might have been the state’s worst even if it had 100 of them. The colors, the text, the outlines of the islands, that weird pink thing …
By the way, that weird pink thing is actually a silversword. They are found only in Hawaii and only at elevations over 5000’. Here’s what one really looks like:
Perhaps something a little more stylized might work. Chaminade University’s sports teams are known as the Silverswords, and they use a logo that might provide some inspiration:
So, what I’m thinking is:
- Keep the baby blue background
- Ditch the sword
- Make the blades silver (or at least white)
- Add some more bits to the top and make them pink
I’m not going to try and attempt all that with MS Paint, so have at it Photoshoppers.
Idaho
Best: Canyon County
Had to resort to counties for Idaho. Just not that many people there, I guess.
Once again, simple and elegant wins the race. A border might be a nice idea, but that pic on the seal is just so colorful that that’s probably not necessary.
Not familiar with Canyon County? It’s just west of Boise. That location probably accounts for it being the 2nd most populous county in the state, accounting for over 10% of all Idahoans.
Worst: Kuna
The clip art school of flag design.
This town of 15,000 is in the same rough area of Canyon County (oh, just a little bit south and east). The name may mean “end of trail or, alternatively, “green leaf – good to smoke.” Wait a minute – shouldn’t this town be in Colorado then?
How might we improve this monstrosity? Maybe we could take one or two of those elements, and go from there. They seem quite proud of their raptors, so why not a silhouette of one? “Kuna” could perhaps be added in script underneath. We could probably keep the light blue, but definitely ditch the gradient. Whether we go with black or white for the other elements would depend on how dark the blue is. Here, how about this one:
Sorry. That’s the best I can do with MS Paint.
Dishonorable mention: Pocatello
Illinois
Best: Chicago
One of the real classics. It also just so happens to be Roman Mars’ favorite as well. He makes a very good point that one way you can tell that a flag is a success is if you see it all over the place. I’ve been to Chicago. He’s right.
I love those stripes. The only other flags I can think of that have them are Israel, DC, and Mobile.
BTW, the North American Vexillological Association rated this one second of all cities across the country.
Worst: Newark
This one was designed by Salvador Dali. While on acid. In the middle of a nervous breakdown.
Wow! Where did this come from? How about high school senior Hannah W.? I’m thinking with a little help from Photoshop or Powerpoint, and maybe some potent hallucinogens.
A redesign? It’s hard to say. This burg of 900, just west of Chicago, doesn’t seem to be known for anything in particular. Maybe they can use the flag of Newark, NJ (for which they were named) as a model:
I like the blue border. If that clock means something, maybe they could include that, plus the name and date – though in a much more standard rendition. Good luck Newarkers!
Indiana
Best: Clarksville
Wow! What a beaut. A classic example of good heraldic design.
Clarksville is right across the Ohio from Louisville. It was founded by George Rogers Clark, and dates all the way back to 1783.
Honorable mention: Indianapolis
Worst: Columbus
What a busy, color-wheel mess. We’ve got the full town name, a (very detailed) skyline, the letter C, a pretty crazy rainbow thing …
Brian Bailey, a local artist is responsible for this mess. Maybe he should have gone with his last initial, like Hannah.
This town of 44,000 is about midway between Indianapolis and Louisville. It’s the home of Cummins Diesel and a surprising amount of classic modern architecture. I’m talking Saarinen, Pei, Pelli, Venturi …
Maybe that could give us an idea for our flag. Here, for example, is Saarinen’s North Christian Church:
And here is a flag based on that:
See what I did there?
Iowa
Best: Madrid
This looks a little like it might sit outside a fancy motel chain. That said, it sure is classy. Big fan.
Madrid? Why, it’s the capital of Spain, of course.
Oh, Madrid Iowa? Well, that one has 2,500 people, is almost in the dead center of the state, and is part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area. And none of that could possibly explain how they came up with this killer flag. (Though this killer pedestrian bridge that I recently discovered just may.)
Worst: Cedar Rapids
You know, that’s a pretty big city to come up with such a cheesy, amateurish nightmare. This baby was a major “star” in Roman Mars’ TED talk. And I heartily agree. I mean, where to even begin?
For one thing, in spite of this flag seeming to show just about everything, there is one thing missing, a local landmark called the Tree of Five Seasons:
How about if we just superimposed the logo for that thing on the Iowa state flag (which looks a little like the flag of France):
Done.
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