99% Invisible-06- 99% Symbolic
Roman Mars (RM): This is 99% Invisible.
I'm Roman Mars. The five basic principles of flag design
RM:According to the North American Vexillological Association.
Vexillological!
Ted Kaye (TK): Vexillology is the study of flags
Number One.
Keep it simple.
The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory
RM: Before I moved to Chicago in 2005, I didn't even know cities had their own flags. TK:most larger cities have flags.
well I didn't know that. That's Ted Kaye, by the way. TK: Hello!
Rm: Flag expert.
Totally awesome guy.
TK: I'm the editor of a scholarly journal on flags called Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. RM: And that first city flag I discoverd in Chicago is a beaut.
A white field, two light blue horizontal stripes, and four six-pointed red stars across the middle.
Number two
TK: The blue stripes represent the water: the lake and the rivers.
Use meaningful symbolism
TK: The red stars represent significant events in Chicagos history
RM: The design of the Chicago flag has complete buy-in, from an entire cross-section of the city.
It's everywhere. Every municipal building flies the flag.
Every 20-year-old's messenger bag and hoodie has one. It's a distinct symbol of Chicago's pride. TK: When a police officer or firefighter dies in Chicago, it's not a United States flag on the casket- it's the city of Chicago's flag. That's how deeply it's gotten into the city's civic imagery. RM: And it's not just that people love Chicago and therefore love the flag. I also think that people love Chicago more, because the flag is so cool.
TK: A positive feedback loop there between great symbolism and civic pride.
RM: So when I moved back to San Fransisco in 2008, I researched its flag.
Because I had never seen it before in the previous 8 years I lived here.
And I found, I'm sorry to say, sadly lacking. TK: Well let me start at the top.
Number One
TK: Keeping it simple.
So simple that a child can draw it from memory.
TK: It's a relatively complex flag. RM: The main component of the San Francsico flag is a phoenix, representing our rising from the ashes after the great fires of the 1850s.
TK: A powerful symbol for San Francisco.
RM: Design-wise I really don't dig the phoenix. It has too many details and too many colors and it doesnt really work at a distance.
But having deep meaning puts that element in the “plus” column.
Behind the large phoenix, the background is mainly white.
The flag also has a substantial gold border around it.
TK: which is a very attractive design element
RM: It does look pretty good.
But here come the bi no-no's in flag design. No lettering or seals.
Never use writing of any kind.
RM: Underneath the phoenix, there's a motto on a ribbon that translates to “Gold in peace, iron in war.” Plus-and this is the big problem- it says San Francisco across the bottom! TK: If you need to write the name of what you're representing on your flag, your symbolism has failed. RM: The United States Flag doesn't say ‘USA' across the front. But the good news is, this name thing might not be completely our fault.
TK: A city flag, in a state that has its own name on the state flag, would tend to echo that.
RM: Yep.
The California bear flag says ‘California Republic' on it. So maybe we can blame this all on our capital city, Sacremento.
Which is awesome, because I love blaming Sacremento for things.
TK: I like to say that in every bad flag, there's a good flag trying to get out. Well the way to make San Francisco's flag a good flag would be to take the motto off, because you can't read that at a distance. I would take the name off.
The border might even be made thicker, so that it's more a part of the flag, and I would just simple take the phoenix and make it a great big element in the middle of the flag. RM: But the current phoenix has got to go.
TK: I would simplify or stylize the phoenix- depict a big, wide-winged bird, coming out of flame.
Emphasize the flame.
RM: So the next time you find yourself with a vexillologist- I am never going to say that right- a flag expert, park yourself there.
You're in for a good time. By the North American Vexillologicaahaha!
RM: It's not just me! RM: 99% Invisible was produced by me, Roman Mars, with support from Lunar.
It's a project of KALW, the American Insitute of Architects in San Francisco, and the Center for Architecture and Design. To look at pictures of flags and a guide on how to design a good one, go to 99% Invisible.org.
