The Off Topic Topic

[Sheilbh]

Expand.

I just gave 5 examples of bad flag design.  The first two, East Germany and Romania, are just taking the national flag but putting a communist coat of arms in the middle - and in a thread where we were talking about how coat of arms make for terrible flags.

I don't mind coats of arms or seals, personally. And I quite like the things Communists put on them: hydro plant, power lines, means of production etc.

Middle one is Mozambique which has a fucking AK-47 incorporated into it's flag.

It was the key weapon in their war of independence. Seems fair.

Final two flags are Ukrainian SSR and Belorussian SSR, which just took the soviet flag and put a coloured stripe onto them.

Agreed. These are boring. Also not a general fan of the boring liberal nationalist standard tricolor.

Now some communist countries just kept the national flag, which is fine, but not very marxist.  Or just have a big red star somewhere, which is pretty boring and uninteresting.  But really - I can't see the appeal of "Marxist flags".

I also like a big red star

[Duque de Bragança]

Middle one is Mozambique which has a fucking AK-47 incorporated into it's flag.

It was the key weapon in their war of independence. Seems fair.

A basic and necessary weapon obviously yes, but the landmines probably did more for the independence. OTOH, the not-so-good Portuguese commander, the Westmoreland-influenced Kaúlza de Arriaga, did his part but it's not as if he could show up on the Mozambican flag. 

[Barrister]

No one designs great flags.

Someone's going to dump on me for this but...

USA and UK have great flags.  Lots of meaning and symbolism, but not a coat of arms, and not just two or three random colours.

Canada isn't bad.

[Barrister]

Expand.

I just gave 5 examples of bad flag design.  The first two, East Germany and Romania, are just taking the national flag but putting a communist coat of arms in the middle - and in a thread where we were talking about how coat of arms make for terrible flags.

I don't mind coats of arms or seals, personally. And I quite like the things Communists put on them: hydro plant, power lines, means of production etc.

Middle one is Mozambique which has a fucking AK-47 incorporated into it's flag.

It was the key weapon in their war of independence. Seems fair.

Final two flags are Ukrainian SSR and Belorussian SSR, which just took the soviet flag and put a coloured stripe onto them.

Agreed. These are boring. Also not a general fan of the boring liberal nationalist standard tricolor.

Now some communist countries just kept the national flag, which is fine, but not very marxist.  Or just have a big red star somewhere, which is pretty boring and uninteresting.  But really - I can't see the appeal of "Marxist flags".

I also like a big red star

OK, so I absolutely hate coats of arms on flags, which is why E Germany and Romania were my first two examples.  It just makes them way too busy, you can't identify them at a distance (which is a key value of a flag).  Romania has the extra sin of spelling the name "Romania" across the coat of arms.

Lets go back to Mozambique.  It has a red chevron(the red triangle thingy), with a yellow star on top, with a book on top of the star, with an AK-47 crossed with a hoe on top of that.  That's four layers of images superimposed!  It's hot garbage, design-wise!

And you liking a big red star says more about you than it does design aesthetics.

[The Larch]

I'll take this as an opportunity to share this CPG Grey video rating US state's flags (and how so many of them are terrible).

[Syt]

AlternateHistoryHub adds "City Flags are Abominations"

[Sheilbh]

Someone's going to dump on me for this but...

USA and UK have great flags.  Lots of meaning and symbolism, but not a coat of arms, and not just two or three random colours.

Canada isn't bad.

Agree on these. The best flag in my view is Wales but I love the dragon.

I think Ukraine's I absolutely loved after I went there - which was during summer - and saw very flat landscape with big fields of wheat or sunflowers and very blue skies, or Ukrainian baroque buildings:


All the meanings were clear which I previously hadn't been aware of.

Huge fan of Mexico's flag and the absolutely massive one they have in the Zocalo. Brazil also have a banger of a flag. Also Kenya's.

I was obsessed with flags and capitals as a kid and this thread is possibly awakening something

[garbon]

I'll take this as an opportunity to share this CPG Grey video rating US state's flags (and how so many of them are terrible).

 

[Barrister]

Yeah, I'm all on board for a flag hijack. 

Ukraine's flag - I mean it's flying in front of my house right now.  It loses points for just being two colours, but yes I always understood the flag to represent the blue sky and yellow wheat fields.  If I was going to redesign it I would add the tryzub symbol to the middle, and indeed you can often see such varients.

Wasn't familiar with Kenya's - yeah that's pretty solid.  I love the Masai sheild.

But then you're back to killing me with Mexico and Brazil!  Mexico has the damn coat of arms.  Brazil isn't the coat of arms, but does have a details starfeild, and the national motto as well.  Too much detail! Brazil would be miles better with just the green background, yellow diamond, and blue circle.

Wales is solid.

[HVC]

Basically BB likes different coloured semaphores

[Sheilbh]

Basically BB likes different coloured semaphores

Yeah I think part of our disagreement is that I'm a bit of a maximalist while I feel BB's maybe leaning minimalist. I basically disagree that any flag is too busy, I just think your fabric is too small

[The Larch]

I'll take this as an opportunity to share this CPG Grey video rating US state's flags (and how so many of them are terrible).

 

I agree with you, I also love California's flag and think Grey was too critical of it, although I could do without the "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC" text on it.

[crazy canuck]

I could do without the "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC" text on it.

It's so kids in school get the right answer on the test

[Josquius]

Ukraines flag is way too basic but gets a pass as yellow isn't common on flags.

One thing I don't get with east Germanys flag and to a lesser extent Marxist flags in general is... Why.
They're claiming to be the rightful pure government of their country. In the cases of other eastern block nations this was reasonably uncontested and with Germany there was west Germany claiming the same.
... So they graffiti the established national flag with their symbol.
Nothing says rebel usurpur like modifying the real flag in such a way.

[The Larch]

AlternateHistoryHub adds "City Flags are Abominations"

It's a pity he didn't include the flag of Calgary, which I think is adorable. 



It's a cute tiny cowboy hat! Awwww!