Flag reform was a mistake

I'm mad at this because the reason I joined the "flag reform movement" was to make flags not only look better, but to make each state flag more distinct from one another. Sure, California's flag breaks the rules, but it's iconic and incredibly distinct. Same thing with Washington State, all because of that green background. I'm also mad because the winning design for Minnesota WAS unique and had character to it with the tricolor bands on the fly, the inverse triangle in the hoist (a unique feature we haven't seen on nearly ANY other flag) and the north star with it's changing thickness. The pure blue fly and equilateral star made something once distinct now bland, uninteresting, and boring to look at. Less may be more, but too much less leaves you with nothing at all. It looks like a flag designed by comittee, which it was. Minnesota does not deserve something that bland and boring, nor something as indistinguishable as the old flag. We had something good imo, and somehow we snagged failure from the jaws of success.

Wow, JJ having an opinion that's simultaneously contrarian and conservative? That's nuts

As a Minnesotan who wanted the flag changed I'm also disappointed with the new flag. I personally really liked the actual flag design that won the competition, the tri color flag, because it was pretty just looked good, but the changes made did make it very boring and dull

I think it's saying something that many of the US' most beloved state flags are the ones that overtly break NAVA's rules. California's state flag has text on it and South Carolina's has a complex design of a tree. Yet travel for a few moments through either state and you'll see how popular both of these visual symbols are among their populace.

No matter what we think of flag reform i think we can agree that New Zealand should have opted to change their flag to the "Kiwi with laser beams shooting out of its eyes" design

Minnesota tri-color with that shape proposition was absolutely amazing. This flag is… bland. Like, they took a perfect flag for the state and just made it worse

I’ve always loved the flag of Rhode Island where I’m from. It’s recognizable, unique, simple and meaningful. But Good Flag Bad Flag would insist that having the word “hope” and a non-abstract picture of anchor are terrible sins

As someone from Maryland I like your argument about culture mattering more than simplicity. Every mall has a "MD Flag" merch store, but not really because of just the flag being cool but also bc it's a point of state pride

I think it’s worth noting that the final design we got wasn’t the design people like CGP Grey were hyped up for, the big box of teal used to be a decent looking tricolor of a nice teal, dark green, and white, and the star was more distinctly shaped with alternating thickness. They took a decent minimalist design and reduced it even more, and when you reduce past the minimum, you’re just lacking.

The saddest thing about the Minnesota flag is the original version of the winning flag design had a great balance of minimalism and character, but they took out the green and white stripes, ruining the color scheme, and made the star much less distinct

I'm really surprised at "the Dutch really like their flag and you see it everywhere". I live in Amsterdam and as I'm pondering now I cannot think of any place in the city where I would be able to find a permanent flag flying, even on the royal palace or the town hall (it's more common to see the city flag than the national flag I think). It's basically only on King's day, Liberation day and (half-mast) on Remembrance day that people put out a flag. Also, on boats and when your child celebrates graduating high-school, for some reason it's common to put out a flag with the school bag hanging from it. The simple color orange, now THAT evokes a sense of national pride! Especially on King's day and sports events, the Dutch will be covered in orange, not red, white and blue.

The appearance of US state flags at a distance is very important. Traveling across the country it's always exciting to see a new state flag that is distinct, flying beside a capitol building, an office park, or even a shopping mall.

I feel like there was justified backlash to minimalist brand logos, but now everyone's just embracing flag minimalism without seeing any parallels.

I think that the SOB flags do genuinely fail as flags and that’s a big part of why the Colorado flag is embraced while the New York flag is ignored. The role of a flag in a modern context the “knife being able to cut meat” aspect if you will is to be a recognized and utilized symbol for a community. Maybe the flag reform movement flag rules are to stifling but we still genuinely need new flags for much of the country. Perhaps only two rules for flag design really matter in 2023 1. Be recognizable and 2. Be distinct. The SOB flags still fail at that even if you don’t believe the new flags being proposed succeed at it.

Coming from a Minnesotan, the new flag just screams "compromise" to me

The flag of my home state, Colorado, is very distinctive, modern, and constantly and proudly used by locals as a symbol of Colorado and its culture. It was adopted in 1911. It also prominently features a red C, which is a major "no-no" by current flag rules.

As someone who was also a part of that mid-2010s flag-shaming, you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding how I feel about some of these reforms. Mississippi and Utah picked great flags, but Minnesota and Pocatello now just feel bland and uninspired, and almost corporate in a sense. Makes me wonder if NAVA could use a new/clarified set of rules, namely adding “these are not to be taken as gospel” and “not every random small town needs a great flag”

It’s more the lawmakers faults, the submissions I’ve seen for these flag contests have been very good, however, they always end up going with a more simpler modern design. I think there is nothing wrong with the new guidelines. It is the decision makers who are putting down unique modern flag designs

The Brazilian flag is hard to draw but very well-designed and iconic

Holding too closely to the "proper guidelines" of flag design can result in some pretty anemic designs. It's ok to break a rule or two. The California flag is a good example. It has text, and a rather detailed bear. Still iconic and beloved.