OSC1228 – Page 3

10 July, 202010 July, 2020

United States Flag Redesigns

Hi! I thought I would redesign flags of the United States. I’m making a new flag, ensign, naval ensign, yacht ensign, and jack. I will explain the symbolism of the originals and mine.

State, Civil, and War Flag

Current Flag:

I think this is okay, as flags go. The 50 stars represent the 50 U.S. States. The stripes represent the 13 original British American colonies in what is now the U.S.

My Redesign:

I used the same colors in this flag, but simplified it a bit and made small changes to the color scheme. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, and they also represent the U.S. Motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” which means “Out of Many, One.” There are a lot of elements that come together to make a single flag.

State, Civil, and Naval Ensign

Current Ensign:

I think this is okay, as flags go. The 50 stars represent the 50 U.S. States. The stripes represent the 13 original British American colonies in what is now the U.S. This is where this post gets a little weird, as I am designing seperate State & Civil, Naval, and Yacht Ensigns.

State/Civil Ensign Redesign (this is flown on unarmed Government vessels and Privately owned Vessels):

I feel like the diagonal division represents the sea, as it is seen a lot on maritime flags. The ensign has the same colors as the flag. The main goal of this flag is to be simple enough to be noticed at sea without being confused with the Liberian or Chilean flags.

Naval Ensign Redesign:

This is effectively the same as the State/Civil Ensign, but charged with an anchor so as to be distinguished from the one used on unarmed ships.

Yacht Ensign Redesign:

Many yachts fly Burgees, so I made one for U.S. Yachts. Same symbolism as National Flag, but 13 stars instead of stripes.

Naval Jack

Current Jack:

This flag is essentially the canton of the original National Flag. A jack is a flag flown on the front of Naval ships when they are in port, since you were wondering.

Jack Redesign:

This is drawn from the original National Flag. The 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies.

10 July, 202010 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 45: Vermont

Current Flag:

Another seal on bedsheet, more missed symbolism. The Green Mountain Boys Flag, or Flag of the Vermont Republic, was a flag used in Vermont from about 1776 until Vermont became a state. I’ve actually seen a few Vermonters flying the Green Mountain Boys flag.

My Redesign:

I used the same symbolism as the Green Mountain Boys flag: the Green represents Vermont as the Green Mountain State, the 13 stars represent the 13 British Colonies, and I created symbolism for the color blue: It represents the United States. The 14 stripes show that Vermont is the 14th State.

9 July, 20209 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States, Day 44: Utah

Current Flag:

This is a really ugly seal on a bedsheet. There is one good element in it, however. The beehive really does symbolize Utah, as it is called the Beehive State.

My Redesign:

This flag uses the aforementioned Beehive State symbolism. The beehive represents Utah as a U.S. State. The two stripes represent New Spain and Mexico, of which Utah was a part of before becoming a territory, then a state.

8 July, 20209 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 43: Texas

Current Flag:

This is, after New Mexico, definitely the second best state flag. It is iconic, and it really represents Texas. The red, white and blue represent bravery, purity, and loyalty, and they are also the colors of the US flag.

My Redesign:

This is based off of the proposed governor’s flag, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good as the current one. The same symbolism still exists.

7 July, 20207 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 42: Tennessee

Current Flag:

This seems to be an okay flag. The stars represent the 3 “grand divisions” of Tennessee, and the circle represents their unity. According to the designer, the blue and white stripes are just aesthetic. This flag may have Confederate symbolism, but I’m not sure. Either way, I’m going to remove the colors, because they don’t symbolize Tennessee, just the US as a whole. Instead, I’ll use the proposed state colors: Orange and white.

My Redesign:

My flag is based off of the original Tennessee state flag. The three stripes represent the Grand Divisions, and the star represents unity.

6 July, 20207 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 41: South Dakota

Current Flag:

This flag does a bad job of representing the state, but like a few others, there is a good flag within it. South Dakota is unofficially known as “The Sunshine State.” There are, seemingly, rays of sun coming out of the seal. I think a sun would make a great flag.

My Redesign:

There we go! The sun represents “The Sunshine State,” and the circle is a replacement for the circle of text on the original flag, which I thought made the flag a little more interesting geometrically.

5 July, 20207 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States, Day 40: South Carolina

Current Flag:

This flag is fine in terms of representation, as South Carolina is the Palmetto State, and the gorget (crescent) is an old piece of military clothing. However, the palmetto was added by the Confederate Secessionists. I don’t like that.

My Redesign:

I kept the gorget and the same colors, but I made the gorget bigger and centered it. The two stars represent British America and the United States of America.

4 July, 20206 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 39: Rhode Island

Current Flag:

This is an okay flag, except for the proportions and the text. The stars represent the 13th state, and the anchor is supposedly a symbol for hope.

My Redesign:

I used the same base design for this one, but I centered the anchor and removed the text. I also added a yellow border and changed the proportions.

3 July, 20206 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 38: Pennsylvania

Current Flag:

This flag is, like that of New York, an example of a seal on bedsheet when there is clearly other symbolism to be found. For example, the Keystone, which is one of Pennsylvania’s State Symbols, is nowhere to be found within this flag.

My Redesign:

I used two colors from the original flag and the Keystone to make this flag. The Keystone represents the state itself, and the two stripes represent it as the 2nd state.

2 July, 20206 July, 2020

50 Days, 50 States; Day 37: Oregon

Current Flag:

Oregon’s flag is the only U.S. State flag with two sides. The front side is the seal, and the back is the beaver, the state animal. This flag needs some serious work.

My Redesign:

The beaver has the same symbolism as in the original flag. The star in the middle represents Oregon, and the other 32 represent those admitted to the Union before it.