Proposed Flags of Massachusetts (2022)

Flags

I redesigned the flag of Massachusetts in 2022 with consultation from NAVA (North American Vexillological Association) members as part of their ongoing Flag Design Gauntlet meetings. Thanks to the members from Massachusetts for their valuable input, Joe Gorman for organising the meetings, and everyone else who participated in discussions.

The current design

Current flag of Massachusetts

The current flag of Massachusetts is a typical American-style seal-on-a-bedsheet design, and as a result it is convoluted, unmemorable and uninspiring. In 2020, the flag came under scrutiny because the symbolism had links to colonial violence against indigenous Americans. In July 2020, the state senate voted unanimously to look into redesigning the state seal and flag. There is ongoing pressure with many towns endorsing a redesign of the flag. Therefore, here is my proposal.

My proposals

I have two proposals:
– The shield concept is based on the current flag for local familiarity and recognition. It was most preferred by the NAVA members from Massachusetts.
– The Sons of Liberty concept is based on the flag of the Sons of Liberty, the group who instigated the Boston Tea Party. It was ranked number 1 in a public poll of all Massachusetts flag redesigns.

Proposed flag of Utah 2

Flags

I previously made a proposed flag of Utah in 2009 but I wanted to revisit this with my new skills. These new designs were created in early 2021 with consultation with NAVA members as part of their Design Gauntlet. Thanks to everyone who gave feedback!

Update [2022-09-26]

I have just received word from the government of Utah that my flag designs are finalists for the official state flag redesign effort! I believe designs 2b and 2c are the ones being used, although they have made some adjustments.

The current design

Current flag of Utah

The current flag scored a 3.47/10.00 in NAVA’s North American flag survey, which makes it the fifteenth worst flag in North America. In 2019, the Utah House voted to solicit potential flag designs to replace the current flag.

My proposals

Proposed flags of Utah

Proposed flag of Massachusetts

Flags

This design is part of my 2009 flag proposal series (the flag designs from my old site with the most hits and ratings).

The current design

Current flag of Massachusetts

The current flag of Massachusetts is a typical American-style seal-on-a-bedsheet design, and as a result it is convoluted, unmemorable and uninspiring. In 2020, the flag came under intense scrutiny because the design seems to imply colonial violence: There is a sword hanging above a Native American figure, the beginning of the motto translates to “by the sword we seek peace” and the artistic rendering was directly based on figures and artifacts involved with killings of Native Americans. There is ongoing pressure with many groups and towns endorsing a redesign of the flag. As of 2021, the state senate and governor have officially decided to redesign the state seal and flag. Therefore, here is my proposal.

My proposal

Proposed flag of Massachusetts

Proposed flag of Earth

Flags

Updates

4 July 2020: This flag was showcased in the newsletter of the North American Vexillological Association, the largest flag organisation in the world!

The current situation

We need an official flag of Earth. We live in an unprecedented times where all the people of the world are connected together and aware of global issues, but are at risk of being divided. The planet itself under threat from destructive forces. Ecosystems around the world are dying, collapsing and on fire. We have a flag for every single place, except for the place that is most important of all. We have a flag for every single homeland, except for the land that is home to every human being. We have a flag for every single cause, except for the single largest cause in the history of our whole species. We have no consistent symbol for our entire home, yet we clearly need to express that right now.

When we want to represent global co-operation, what flag do we use? When we protest the planet’s environmental issues, what flag do we fly? When we celebrate events like Earth Day, what flag emoji do we use in our message?

There are a few options but they do not cut it. The most famous global flag is the flag of the United Nations but that represents the organisation and not the whole planet. Some people use a photograph of the planet Earth but that is not appropriate for a flag. There are other proposals but they are messy or unintuitive. We need a good, simple, catchy flag to represent our planet.

Therefore, here is my proposal.

My proposal

Proposed flag of Earth

Proposed flags of Australia

Flags

SUMMARY

Here are all the Australian flag designs I made over the years. Like my New Zealand flag proposals, I put in a lot of effort researching and designing these proposals. Australia has not had an official flag competition or referendum yet but I’ll be ready once it happens!

Everyone else just makes designs that look nice and symbolic to them personally. This is why they fail. Instead, I consulted real evidence for what people want and don’t want in a flag, and aimed for maximum feasibility, i.e. appealing to as much of the public as possible with their various preferences. The concepts are roughly in order from most to least feasible, based on my evidence and the popularity on Facebook and Reddit.

The Advance design (at the top) was voted the third best out of all Australian flag redesigns in public polling. I will leave it up to the reader to decide which designs are the best.

01b Australian flag design summary

INTRODUCTION

As with all design, the how and the why is more important than the what. I used the same process as my New Zealand flag designs so I’ll just summarise that here.

After that, the article lists each of my proposals.

Proposed flag of Hong Kong

Flags

The current design

Current flag of Hong Kong

Current flag of Hong Kong

The current flag of Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region of China) consists of a bauhinia flower and five stars on a red field. Although this design was created by a local and contains a native flower, it was adopted under strict oversight by the Chinese government. The dominance of the colour red and the five stars, all borrowed from the Chinese flag, are a result of this. The relationship between Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China has come under growing scrutiny, so many Hongkongers feel that their flag reminds them more of China’s power than Hong Kong’s identity and no longer represents them. Therefore, here is my proposal.

My proposal

Proposed flag of Hong Kong

Proposed flag of Hong Kong

Proposed flag of Fiji

Flags

The current design

Flag of Fiji

The current flag of Fiji

The current flag of Fiji is almost unchanged from its colonial predecessor, a defaced British Blue Ensign. Since becoming a republic, the prime minister Frank Bainimarama called for a new flag design to reflect a new, genuine, confident Fijian identity without inheriting old colonial symbols. The Fijian government called for submissions throughout 2015 and 2016 but this plan fell through. This was the proposal designed by myself, James Fitzmaurice and Rachael Radhika-Hart.

Our proposal

Proposed flag of Fiji by Brian Cham, James Fitzmaurice and Rachael Radhika-Hart.

Proposed flag of Fiji by Brian Cham, James Fitzmaurice and Rachael Radhika-Hart.

Proposed flag of Chad / Drapeau proposé du Tchad / علم مقترح لتشاد

Flags

This design is part of my 2009 flag proposal series (the flag designs from my old site with the most hits and ratings).

Cette conception fait partie de ma série de propositions de drapeau 2009 (les conceptions de drapeau de mon ancien site avec le plus de hits et de notes).

هذا التصميم جزء من سلسلة مقترحات العلم الخاصة بي لعام 2009 (تصميمات العلم من موقعي القديم مع أكبر عدد من النتائج والتقييمات).

Note: My choice of design does not reflect my political views.

Remarque: mon choix de conception ne reflète pas mes opinions politiques.

ملاحظة: خياري للتصميم لا يعكس آرائي السياسية.

The current design / La situation présente / الوضع الحالي

Current flag of Chad / Drapeau actuel du Tchad / علم تشاد الحالي

Current flag of Romania / Drapeau actuel de la Roumanie / علم رومانيا الحالي

The flag of Chad is almost identical to the flag of Romania. This similarity is so close that Chad once asked the United Nations to inspect the issue. However, Romania pointed out that their flag is older, so Chad should be the one to change to make it more distinct. Therefore, here is my proposal.

Le drapeau du Tchad est presque identique au drapeau de la Roumanie. Cette similitude est si proche que le Tchad a demandé une fois aux Nations Unies de se pencher sur la question. Cependant, la Roumanie a souligné que son drapeau est plus ancien, le Tchad devrait donc être celui à changer pour le rendre plus distinct. Ainsi, je présente ma proposition ici.

علم تشاد مطابق تقريبًا لعلم رومانيا. هذا التشابه قريب جدًا لدرجة أن تشاد طلبت من الأمم المتحدة ذات مرة فحص القضية. ومع ذلك ، أشارت رومانيا إلى أن علمها أقدم ، لذلك يجب أن تكون تشاد هي الدولة التي يجب تغييرها لجعلها أكثر تميزًا. لذلك ، هذا هو اقتراحي.

My proposal / Ma proposition / اقتراحي

Flag proposal for Chad I made in 2009.

Proposed flag of Chad / Drapeau proposé du Tchad / علم مقترح لتشاد

First off, this design is simple enough to be remembered by a child, yet distinctive enough to be identified at a distance.

Tout d’abord, cette conception est assez simple pour être mémorisée par un enfant, mais suffisamment distinctive pour être identifiée à distance.

أولاً ، هذا التصميم بسيط بما يكفي ليتذكره الطفل ، ولكنه مميز بما يكفي ليتم التعرف عليه عن بعد.

The overall layout represents the geography of Chad. In the south is fertile land, in the north is the Sahara Desert and in the west is Lake Chad, which is important to the country. The eight pointed star represents the sun, warmth, vitality and hope for a bright future. The eight points represent the eight directions, referring to the vast size of Chad. The location of the sun ensures its importance, as the left hand side will be last part of the flag to wear out.

La disposition générale représente la géographie du Tchad. Au sud se trouve des terres fertiles, au nord le désert du Sahara et à l’ouest le lac Tchad, qui est important pour le pays. L’étoile à huit branches représente le soleil, la chaleur, la vitalité et l’espoir d’un avenir radieux. Les huit points de l’étoile représentent les huit directions, faisant référence à la vaste étendue du Tchad. L’emplacement du soleil assure son importance, car le côté gauche sera la dernière partie du drapeau à s’user.

يمثل التصميم العام جغرافية تشاد. في الجنوب أرض خصبة ، وفي الشمال توجد الصحراء الكبرى وفي الغرب بحيرة تشاد ، وهي مهمة للبلاد. تمثل النجمة الثمانية الشمس والدفء والحيوية والأمل في مستقبل مشرق. النقاط الثماني تمثل الاتجاهات الثمانية ، في اشارة الى الحجم الشاسع لتشاد. يضمن موقع الشمس أهميتها ، حيث سيكون الجانب الأيسر هو الجزء الأخير من العلم الذي يتآكل.

Vector files available on request.

Fichiers vectoriels disponibles sur demande.

ملفات المتجهات متاحة عند الطلب.

Mock-ups of the proposed flag of Chad / Maquettes du drapeau proposé du Tchad / نماذج بالحجم الطبيعي لعلم تشاد المقترح

Mock-ups of the proposed flag of Chad / Maquettes du drapeau proposé du Tchad / نماذج بالحجم الطبيعي لعلم تشاد المقترح

Construction sheet of the proposed flag of Chad / Fiche de construction du drapeau proposé du Tchad / أبعاد علم تشاد المقترح

Construction sheet of the proposed flag of Chad / Fiche de construction du drapeau proposé du Tchad / أبعاد علم تشاد المقترح

Proposed flag of Mars

Flags

This design is part of my 2009 flag proposal series (the flag designs from my old site with the most hits and ratings).

The current design

Current flag of Mars

The current flag of Mars is trash. It’s a generic tricolour, the colours all clash, it’s completely unintuitive and the symbolism reflects only a particular vision of Mars’ future. One day we’ll put a flag there and the planet deserves a better design than this. Therefore, here is my proposal.

My proposal

Flag proposal for Mars I made in 2009.

Proposed flag of Mars

First off, this design is simple enough to be remembered by a child, yet distinctive enough to be identified at a distance.

The best symbolism is that which does not need to be said. So I won’t.

I will say that this is better than the current design in all the ways that matter: It’s original, the colours complement each other, it’s easily recognisable and the symbolism reflects Mars in any context.

Vector files available on request.

Mock-ups for the proposed flag of Mars

Mock-ups for the proposed flag of Mars

Construction sheet for the proposed flag of Mars

Construction sheet for the proposed flag of Mars