Graphic designer Ed Mitchell has a novel idea. Redesign all of the state flags so that they better fit with the aesthetics of Old Glory.Â
Why?
Because it might produce a little more unity.
Mitchell is a designer with the Philadelphia based Bresslergroup. He used the colors of the U.S. flag – red, white and blue. He also used basic shapes to symbolize features found in each state:
Since I wanted the symbolism to be meaningful to each state, I also pulled from unique geography, historical and famous events, and state mottos and symbols. As the design evolved, I noticed a visual language starting to emerge. The color blue represents water or sky. A sideways triangle represents hill and valleys. A standard triangle represents mountains, a sunburst is the sun, and stars became place holders for the states themselves.
He had a few other rules for his reimagining:
- So simple a child can draw it from memory.
- Use meaningful symbolism
- Only two to three basic colors.
- No text or seals.
- Be distinctive, or be related – not duplicative of other flags.
Of course, there’s Utah’s flag:
“The blue represents the great Salt Lake and the smaller blue bars are the lesser lakes.”
Here’s what he dreamed up for Idaho:
“There’s a gem in the canton because every type of gemstone is found in Idaho. The red represents the mountains and the blue is the sky.”
Here’s his re-design for California:
“This is the only flag with curves, because I wanted to convey the feeling of driving along the coastline.”
You can see the whole group of redesigned flags here.
