Better than the current one I guess. (I probably would have voted in favor of the new flag, now that I’ve reviewed the old one again.) But it doesn’t look so much designed as someone just slapped some clip art of a tree and a star on a rectangle.
Blue and white work quite well for Bavaria and Finland. Why does it look so ugly on these flags?
The elements are not properly separated into either the background or symbols placed on the background. The white star in the blue circle and the horizontal blue stripes is a good example. The white circle around the blue circle is not an object but just some negative space that implies a circle. The result is a sort of air force roundel symbol. In fact, it looks like the last frame of an air force recruiting ad.
The one with the red and white stripes on the right side of the flag reminds me too much of a University of Illinois logo from about a decade ago: Illinois Featured Content I don’t think it ever caught on or was very popular.
I might vote for the butterfly, just because it reminds me of the Butterfly personal hygiene product for accidental bowel leakage: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5559199513797796/
As to the Illinois proposals… IMO perhaps too much current “graphic design” mentality in some of those. More appropriate for a webpage banner and come to think of it probably designed thinking of using it as such or as letterhead logos.
Sadly, Chicago got far ahead of its state in getting itself a top-tier flag. Best the state can seem to do is grab one of the six-point stars.
And come on, enough with Lincoln’s profile or the state map. First get a good flag THEN ‘shop it into those shapes it to create the branding logos.
I like that first one, the one with the red stripes to the right. It’s very distinct. Doesn’t have the outline of the state or a raft of stars.
Yeah - I wondered why so many of them went with such a dark palette.
The only one of those Illinois flags that looks even acceptable to me is the one with the gold star and the blue stripes. The butterfly one might be OK, if butterflies, in general, were a recognized symbol of Illinois, but the justification is just that the monarch is the official state butterfly, and the flag doesn’t specifically have a monarch butterfly.
The one that supposedly is Lincoln’s profile had me scratching my head. Just looked like abstract blue, white and red stripes. If you have to have the imagery explained to you, it’s poor imagery.
Once I got it, the red, white, and blue one with Lincoln’s profile facing the state border is by far the most clever and memorable and cool. Total win. Like FedEx’s arrow, it’s invisible until it’s obvious. Then it’s obvious forever after.
Most of the figures on more traditional [great seal on a plain background] flags of umpteen states (and probably a couple provinces) have a bunch of story behind them too. Recognizing “it’s a person by a river near some sort of agriculture” is barely 10% of the meaning of which river, which Native American (or settler), and why his (good bet) posture and gesture is what it is. All of which must be explained to you before you’ll appreciate the full effect. How is Lincoln’s truly iconic profile (at least to Americans) any different?
Most of the [lotsa blue with some stars] designs are passé at best, lame at worst. Skip that stuff. The big serifed “I” that highlights the first design in the list is a great corporate logo. Or maybe for a high school. Not for a state. Also, it totally screams “early 2020s internet logo design vernacular.” IOW it will not age well. Lincoln’s profile OTOH is timeless.
I have to say the Illinois Centennial flag of 1918 and the Sesquicentennial flag of 1968 are both pretty sad. The 1918 one is interesting in how much it does not look 110 years old; it looks far more modern (WAG 1990s) than it is.
I mentioned upthread being cautious about wanting a bunch of new flags at a time when the populace / electorate seems to have largely lost its collective mind. OTOH, eliminating all most of the flags that are simply [state seal on a plain field of [whatever color]] does seem like a worthy goal unlikely to have a cure worse than the disease.
Besides, I’m eagerly awaiting somebody (probably Alabama or Mississippi) coming up with a flag featuring Statey McStateface, and the benighted fools voting for that self-vandalizing abomination. Sometimes when somebody yells “Hey y’all; watch this. Hold my beer!!” the only right-minded thing to do is offer up a hand to hold their beer.
The Bavarian flag (like the Greek and Israeli flags) uses a much lighter blue - sky blue, which in many languages is considered a completely different color. It’s more pleasing to the eye.
The Finnish flag works, I suppose, because the white and blue elements are so well balanced.
You almost sound like someone who lives several states away, and won’t have to see that abomination!
Let’s see what I can cobble together with a gator an a pair o’ coconuts…
Don’t forget to include Florida Man trying to ride the gator. 
I don’t think any of the proposed Illinois flags would be better than the current flag, just with the word “ILLINOIS” deleted.
I’ve got a feeling they’re going to go with the butterfly. Not the best one, but not the worst.
Should just say Come on feel the ILLINOISE in 3D text.
As a Chicagoan, I think getting a new state flag is a total waste of time and money. Who gives a fuck about state flags, really? What is the compelling reason to change the Illinois flag? What’s the real problem with the current flag, the “state sovereignty” part of the motto? Or is it just that it’s old?
It looks like a French flag glued together by a particularly slow kid who forgot his scissors at home, but whose teacher still gave him a star out of pity.
It’s just a terrible flag. It’s too busy, it’s has writing on it, it’s not very distinctive, it’s not particularly associated with Illinois.
It’s not the worst: Lots of state flags consist of the state seal on a plain background, and all of those have the same faults, but at least Illinois has a different background color than most of them (hence making it slightly more distinctive). But all of those other seal flags should be changed, too.
I mean, on the list of problems in life, it ranks pretty low. But it’s also a very easy problem to fix. Why not?
Just curious - are you from Illinois? Because I’ve never had a problem with it. Not sure I ever heard anyone complain about it (or really express an opinion one way or another.). When I’ve been places with multiple state flags - like Mt. Rushmore, I’ve always found it easy to pick out. Actually thought it looks nice and “stately.” Moreso than some newer efforts which impress me as modern cartoonish “branding” which will not age well.
Should Mexico get rid of the eagle on their flag?
I realize vex groups say things like avoid state seals or more than 3 colors, but this single person doesn’t necessarily agree. I’d view their suggestions as guidelines, rather than requirements.
Strikes me as simply wanting change for the sake of change. Or - instead of improving the MANY things Illinois needs to improve upon, just pick a new flag and lay, “Look at how modern and forward thinking we are!” MAYBE if someone comes up with some brilliant idea which would be a clear improvement, THEN I’d support the change. But these 10 proposals sure ain’t that.