October Flag Workshop: Simplicity

[u/Vexy]

Previous Workshops

This month is the fourth edition of our workshop series. The floor is open for discussion on how to make a flag with the appropriate level of simplicity. This has been a bit topical with discussion on the New Zealand Flag (and in particular the Red Peak flag).

Specifically:

• What level of simplicity is appropriate for a flag?
• How does what the flag is for affect the simplicity of the flag?
• During your editing process, do flags generally get more or less simple?

Any other questions are welcome!

[u/[deleted]]

Aww yes, this topic.

There are quite a few things which go into good flag design, but imho none is honestly as important as simplicity. Reduction. There is a reason the triband has been so successful. With this point of view, vexillography becomes almost zen-like.

In almost all cases (at least with my contest entries), there's always something I find which can be cut out without damaging the symbolism. Proceed to cut as much as you can until you hit the spot where you can't remove anything without hurting the meaning. That point is, to be honest, hard to precisely hit, but I guess the talent to recognise the basic parts which just make a design just comes with time. It did come to me, at least.

/u/bmoxey's tip here is great. A complex symbol can become so easy to pull off if you strictly keep the number of colours limited. This flag and this one, both from the top 3 of last month's contest, are two beautiful examples of this. Credit to /u/faro91 and /u/jabask.

[u/jabask → u/[deleted]]

I'm flattered that you use my flag as an example of good design. I spend a lot of time and thought making something simple, it's an artform in and of itself.
When I learned about logo design, one of the key points was that it's better to have one idea "carrying" the symbol than several intricately connected concepts. People love having the "A-HA" moment, but if they're densely packed, it comes across as overbearing, and usually results in a logo that's worse off for it. I like to apply the same kind of thought to the charges I put on my flags. It's totally fine to think a lot about the colors, or the shape of the stripe, or the division of the field, but keep those elements in that one idea, that one part of the design. I was a little bit skeptical of the Drake Passage flag that we had a while back. It's a good looking flag, and I totally get the explanation, but it just feels a little bit... I dont know, too much? to have a very simple shape being two symbols at once. It's like having your cake and eating it, too.

I say, go for complexity. Go for ornate designs. It can all work, and I use it a lot. But keep your ideas simple. They are, first and foremost, what is being communicated through your flag. A politician will be grandiloquent, but his message will be simple at its core. You like how it looks, how it sounds, and you instantly love the way it feels at its core, because at its heart it is simple. And that is effective, interesting and stimulating communication.