I’m actually wearing a t-shirt of my city’s flag right now. Indianapolis
Ooo… I like that one!
The flag of St. Louis. Two wavy lines that come together (the confluence of the Mississippio and Missouri Rivers) and a fleur de lis (the symbol of (St.) Louis IX, king of France.)
I agree. In my opinion, all flags with seals on them should be treated the same way as the Romanians dealt with the crest on the flag of the Socialist Republic of Romania, during the uprising against Ceausescu: cut it out!
Concur! The swallowtail design is distinctive and the stars, stripes and buckeye really “pop”!
. Now, now, I’m sure it was cutting edge graphic design in its time. Which I would estimate to have been the mid-sixties…
Why?
Agreed. I like heraldic banners and have always thought Maryland’s flag was a good one : eye-catching and memorable, in a good way.
And now that I look again at the Jerusalem flag, I think that the crest (crest, not seal!) is referencing two other features of Jerusalem. The bacground, I’m guessing, is referring to the Wall on Temple Mount, and the leaves which frame it are likely referring to the Mount of Olives. Am I close, Alessan?
Found a better image of the Regina flag.
It may seem weird, but the City of Lethbridge’s flag is based on the American Stars and Stripes:
It makes sense, though: our city traces its history back to American whisky traders, who came into what is now southern Alberta, in about 1870, in order to trade with the local natives. Hence, “Fort Whoop-Up,” the name of one of the earliest settlements. The RCMP didn’t arrive to calm things down until 1874 or so.
There is other symbolism present in Lethbridge’s flag, but it has been worked into a design that was obviously influenced by the Stars and Stripes.
[Johnny Carson] I did not know that! [/Johnny Carson]
Thanks for the info, Spoons.
The background does indeed reference the Western/Wailing Wall - it even has smaller stones on top,just like the wall itself. The olive branches are more a general reference to the many olive trees native to the city and it’s surroundings, as well as the standard symbol of peace, which can be seen in many examples of Israeli heraldry, such as the Emblem of Israel itself and the IDF emblem.
You’re quite welcome! You may also find it interesting to know that the name “Whoop-Up” survives to this day, in a re-creation of Fort Whoop-Up (a local tourist attraction), Whoop-Up Drive (a major city artery), and Whoop-Up Days (our version of the Calgary Stampede).
Although Americans trading whisky to the natives may not be the most noble of beginnings, we are reminded of their role in founding what would become our city when we see our city’s flag.
We do, and it’s SHIT. What a fucking embarrassment.
You know who have absolutely *amazing *flags? Japanese cities. Most of them are in the *mon *style, so no wonder.
Although, props to Sakurafor going full, pink cock-and-balls…
Those are cool, and I really like the unity of theme it creates.
Also, I now know what surely must have inspired a thousand stock company logo designers.
Nice. They have a “Y” river motif instead of the erroneous cross that Portland has.
We don’t have one in Bristol (England), which seems mighty unfair given how long Bristol has existed. We have a coat of arms and a council logo, if that counts. It’s got a boat and a castle, so could make a jaunty little number.
Eh, just boring, uses two unimaginative and borrowed earlier symbols, and doesn’t distinctively say “Hawaii” in any way to me. I’m sure there’s some native Hawaiian symbol that could be the basis for a much more interesting flag.
Hmm. Looks like something Mondrian or Frank Lloyd Wright might’ve designed.
I kind of like the 2003-2004 Cape Town flag. It’s different, at least, and the colors certainly pop on the white field.
Never really cared for Japanese municipal flags, though. They’re so modern and bland and characterless they could just as easily be corporate flags.
An excellent TED talk on flags:
Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed
As a counterpoint, I’ll link you to the flag of Madison, Wisconsin:
(if you look up Madison on a map, you’ll understand the flag layout).
Unfortunately I don’t live in Madison anymore, I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, whose flag is considerably less noteworthy.
Very nice flag for Madison. I looked up that survey and found the results here. Looks like my love for the Chicago flag isn’t just local pride, as it finishes #2 on the survey, just behind Washington DC’s flag.
Some of my favorite city flags:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Washington%2C_D.C.
Flag of Los Angeles - Wikipedia
Flag of Seattle - Wikipedia
Flag of Easton, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia
Flag of St. Louis - Wikipedia
I would like the Chicago flag better if the stripes were navy and not pale blue.
The flag of Louisville has since changed, and not for the better IMHO: Flag of Louisville, Kentucky - Wikipedia
At least the Tel Aviv flag is colorful. But with all the regularity of the other elements, the asymmetry of the stars really stands out. Is that a constellation, like the Southern Cross on the flags of Australia and New Zealand, or Alaska’s Big Dipper?
Haifa’s flag really kicks ass.
There is a Native Hawaiian flag, the Kanaka Maoli flag. The shield bit is nice, the stripes are positively offensive.
That’s ironic, given mon are basically the Japanese equivalent of medieval coats of arms.