This design is part of my 2009 flag proposal series (the flag designs from my old site with the most hits and ratings). Ever since I posted this design in 2009, I got some feedback and I’ve made an even better design for Utah which you can view here.

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

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 proposal

Proposed flag of Utah

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

This design incorporates features of the current flag, the Mormon pioneer flag and the national flag. The overall layout and thirteen stripes are from the national flag. The colours are from the Mormon pioneer flag and the current flag of Utah. The golden circle is also retained from the current flag of Utah. This aids recognition, establishes continuity and suggests connections with Utah’s history and Mormon influence.

In the canton (top-left corner), the circle represents unity, the star represents the sun and the hexagon represents a beehive. The sun has twelve points, which is the number of perfection. The beehive is the official symbol of Utah and represents hard work, progress and community. The conjunction of the beehive cell inside the sun’s rays sends two messages: firstly that each individual has a chance to shine, and secondly that Utah’s positive influence is known well outside its borders.

The location of this emblem ensures its importance. When a flag wears out, the left hand side will be the last to remain. When it is not flying, that corner will be most visible part of the flag. When it is flying, the eye will be naturally attracted to that region as a starting point.

In terms of colours, the blue represents the sky, the white represents salt and the gold represents the warm sun. The colours are all present on the current flag, so any further symbolism they have can be carried over as well.

Vector files available on request.

Mock-ups of the proposed flag of Utah

Construction sheet of the proposed flag of Utah