knnhrvy's State Flag Concepts

[knnhrvy16]

Hey guys!

I assume General Design is the right place for these kinds of concepts, seeing as how they aren't sports related, but if they would be better suited in the actual concepts thread, then by all means, go ahead and move the thread.

Anyways, I had some down time this morning (no class today!), so I whipped out some flag concepts I've had in my head for a while.

The first I'll present is California. What I did with California was pretty simple - I sought to modernize the bear first and foremost. I tried to make it a bit sleeker, a little more simple, and less sloppy. Secondly, the idea to add a black outline to the star and then the red bar at the bottom slowly came to fruit, and when I tried it out, I really liked how it looked. And thirdly, I changed the font of "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC" just a tad (it's actually the Chargers' nameplate font). So, nothing too drastic, just more of a modernization and update than anything.

Without further ado, here's California:

The second flag I tackled was my home state's - Utah. Utah unfortunately flies a pretty "cookie cutter" flag, with the simple state seal on a blue background design. With the state being surrounded by states with much more unique and symbolic flags (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.), I decided that Utah needed to start anew. I went in a completely different direction and tried to make a flag that was both unique and instantly recognizable, as well as symbolic of the state. The flag features only two colors - copper and white. Copper for the state's industry as a whole (copper is a prominent state industry) as well as the state's desert redrock areas, white for the state's famous snow and mountains, and pride. The beehive has been a symbol of Utah since even before it's 1896 statehood, and is featured more prominently here on this flag. A pretty simple design, but one that could be instantly recognized and is befitting of the state and it's history.

So what do you guys think? Thanks for viewing, and C&C is appreciated!

[Foxxtrot44]

The Cali one is fine...If it aint broke and such...

On Utah, I like the orange and have said Utah should have an orange (though a darker one than you used) flag myself. My only suggestion would be to unite more of the pieces of the beehive. To me, it looks too broken up which lessens the overall impact of it.

[texfischer]

Is Ohio next?

[JayJaxon]

Utah is pretty cool. Too many states just slap their seal on a blue background and call it a day.

[mcrosby]

For whatever reason the only thing I can think of when seeing the Utah flag is this:

They're not even that similar but now I can't get over it.

[knnhrvy16]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions guys!

Foxxtrot - took your suggestions into consideration, as you'll see below!

Tex - I probably won't do Ohio, actually. I like their flag as it is, and think it's unique enough that it doesn't need any changes. I may consider it, but as of now, probably not.

Jay - I totally know what you mean, it bugs the crud out of me. I wish more states completely ditched their flags and started over. States like Arizona, Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico, etc. had the right idea.

mcrosby - After you mentioned Disney, I totally saw it too. I took your suggestions to heart as well.

So guys, I have a Utah update for you really quick.

I darkened the copper, and tried to fill in the beehive a little bit. At first I tried filling in the whole thing, but it had this awkward "hut" or "igloo" look about it, so I kept some lines to keep that beehive effect.

What do you guys think of this?

[Chapeeko]

I think you should incorporate a hexagon in there to represent a honeycomb.

[sc49erfan15]

Cali's looks too much like a sports logo. Too modern. Not saying Cali's flag is untouchable, but it can be improved upon...I just don't think this is it. It's a good design/illustration, just too modern for a flag.

Utah's is nice. A beehive (or some sort of bee imagery) is definitely necessary, and the orange is unique as far as U.S. flags go. I like the darker copper-orange better. You might want a reference to the Salt Lake as well. I'd add a blue stripe, maybe half the width of the orange stripe (this would probably mean thinning the orange stripes, slightly) in between the orange and white.

[RedSox44]

Do Maine! Please! We're in such a need for a redesign!

[Ben7]

I like the Cali version a lot. Nice work.

[knnhrvy16]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Thought I'd go ahead and post my next flag, Minnesota's.

Two main inspirations here - the North Star, and the 10,000 lakes. I tried to integrate both elements simply, by portraying an abstract representation of a nighttime scene on a lake. The star is featured prominently in the top center - or north - of the flag, and the blue bar underneath the black is obviously the water. A pretty simple design, but one that I hope portrays state symbolism in a unique way.

C&C appreciate as always! Let me know what you guys think!

[sc49erfan15]

Definitely not a bad design, a bit simple but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Any reasoning behind the 8-pointed star?

[Foxxtrot44]

I think you should incorporate a hexagon in there to represent a honeycomb.

This would be interesting...not totally outside of Utah's design character either considering EMT's, firefighters, etc.. all wear hexagon patches...

I'm also curious about the 8 point star on Minnesota. I know their current flag has that funny doughnut hole star. Was that the inspiration?

[knnhrvy16]

Actually, there was no real intended inspiration behind the eight-point star. I just figured a usual five-point wouldn't work because Texas lays claim to a lone five-point, so I drew a couple of different points out and found that the eight-point looked best. It also looked the most like a star looks from the distance in the sky, to me at least, so I just ran with it. Nothin' more than that

[hettinger_rl]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Thought I'd go ahead and post my next flag, Minnesota's.

Two main inspirations here - the North Star, and the 10,000 lakes. I tried to integrate both elements simply, by portraying an abstract representation of a nighttime scene on a lake. The star is featured prominently in the top center - or north - of the flag, and the blue bar underneath the black is obviously the water. A pretty simple design, but one that I hope portrays state symbolism in a unique way.

C&C appreciate as always! Let me know what you guys think!

The dominence of the black bothers me here. I think a dark blue could work for that part, but the water would likely need to be changed then. Also, a loon on the lake would really make it seem Minnesotan.