A bunch of state flags could stand a ‘makeover’

Most U.S. state flags are a pretty sorry lot, falling into the “bad flags” category, as expressed by flag experts associated with NAVA (North American Vexillological Association), based in Boston, Mass.

The term “vexillology” was coined in 1957 by Dr. Whitney Smith Jr. when he was 17. He combined the Latin word for flag (vexillum) and the Greek ending indicating “the study of.”

Dr. Whitney Smith Jr. 

Dr. Smith became the preeminent scholar on all aspects of the history, symbolism and significance of flags. He died in 2016 at age 76, but his interest in creating “good flags” is being carried on by NAVA’s leadership.

 

Current NAVA secretary Ted Kaye has compiled a booklet titled “‘Good’ Flag, ‘Bad’ Flag.” It contains input from more than 20 esteemed vexillologists and is an important resource for those wishing to design or re-design governmental or organizational flags. 

Kaye said NAVA’s five principles of good flag design are: 

1. Keep it simple. The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory. 

2. Use meaningful symbolism. The flag’s images, colors or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes. 

3. Use two or three basic colors. Select colors that contrast well and come from the standard color set. 

4. No lettering or seals. Don’t include words; avoid using a government or organization seal.

5. Be distinctive, creative and inspirational. 

“Of course, there are exceptions, but depart from these five principles only with great caution and purpose,” Kaye suggested. 

“In every bad flag, there’s a good flag trying to get out,” he added. 

There’s no shortage of dreary U.S. state flags that are lumped together in an unceremonious category known as “seals on bed sheets.” They fail to measure up to NAVA’s principles and are busy, complicated, antiquated…and stale.

 

On the positive side, some of the more popular flag designs include four of the last five states to join the union – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and Alaska. 

The Oklahoma state flag represents the melding of cultures. It features an Osage warrior’s buffalo-skin shield on a blue background, a color that is also representative of the Choctaw. An olive branch and a peace pipe lay across the shield. Seven eagle feathers decorate the shield. The flag was designed by citizen Louise Funk Fluke and adopted by the Oklahoma legislature in 1925.

 

New Mexico’s flag is one of NAVA’s favorites. Its distinctive yellow and red design, featuring the Zia sun symbol, was designed by Dr. Harry Mera, a Santa Fe archaeologist and adopted in 1923. 

The red sun is centered in a field of yellow. There are four rays radiating from four sides of a circle. Four is a sacred number for the Zia and represents the four seasons of the year, the four directions of a compass and the four sacred obligations (strong body, clear mind, pure spirit and devotion to others).

 

The Arizona state flag is distinctive with its copper-colored five-pointed star in the center of the flag. The bottom half of the flag is blue, representing rivers of the state. The top half features 13 alternating rays of red and yellow, indicative of the spectacular sunsets in Arizona. 

Col. Charles Wilfred Harris of the Arizona National Guard created the basic design in 1910, as an emblem used by his unit’s rifle team. His design was adapted and adopted as the state flag in 1917.

 

Alaska’s state flag was designed by a 13-year-old boy while living in an orphanage in Seward.