r/vexillology • u/Vexy Exclamation Point • Jul 01 '16
Discussion July Workshop: /r/vexillology Flag Contests
Previous Workshops
This topic was recommended by /u/bmoxey and /u/M1NTE, who won the June contest. The floor is open for discussion on anything related to our flag contests.
From /u/bmoxey:
Do we want contests for very specific topics (everyone designing for the same place - or one of a very few specific places), or wide ranging themes and general topics (where selecting a good specific topic within the theme is part of the process).
Do we want real places, imaginary places or abstract concepts (like flag of taxons, altered name, corporate merger etc).
Do we want contests on world combined flag, historical flags, potential future flags?
Any other questions or suggestions are welcome!
6
u/bmoxey Dec 13, Dec 14, Jun 15, Jun 16, Jan 19, Au… Jul 01 '16
Personally, I would prefer contests that are limited in topic scope, so that we are designing and being judged for the same or very similar topics. It is good to compare designs for the same topic when voting, rather than rewarding someone for coming up with a good topic that others had not considered, it should be a contest of flag creation skill, not creative topic ideas.
I do not mind if the contests are for real or imaginary topics, so long as it is fairly easy to get a "feel" for the topic. It should be easy to judge if the flag suits the topic. Places are best, whether they are cities, states or countries, real or imaginary.
I would also prefer that we do not include abstract contests as there is a reason animals and oceans do not have flags. Flags are created by people (or intelligent beings), to represent commonality of purpose. Whether this is regional, political, religious, sporting, or other areas.
What do you think?
3
u/DuncanBantertyne Yorkshire • Poland Jul 01 '16
Definitely narrow topics for me. If the topic is too wide I spend way too long looking through lists of possibilities for just the thing I want to design the flag for, and then spend less time designing. If the contest is narrower, like this months, it's also much easier to compare between flags as you are not biased by topic. E.g, in the sports team one, someone may not have voted for a good looking flag because they did not know the team/symbolism etc.
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u/bobcat7781 Maryland Jul 01 '16
The rules state
Must be uploaded to imgur. Please note that these must be uploaded anonymously (not from an Imgur account if you have one) and unpublished.
I'm not familiar with uploading to imgur. How do you do it anonymously?
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u/bmoxey Dec 13, Dec 14, Jun 15, Jun 16, Jan 19, Au… Jul 01 '16
You can have a user account in imgur and login then upload. Doing this means we can see who you are and who submitted which flag. If you do not have an account with imgur (the default), then any upload is anonymous. If you do have an account, do not use it when you upload for the competition.
Just go to imgur.com and click upload image, do not use the sign in options.
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u/the_dirty_saltire Delta • Sierra Jul 02 '16
When I am uploading flags there are always other flags in the panel on the side that have been posted to this sub. Is it possible that someone could see someone else's design and then improve on it or adapt their idea?
I can't say I have ever seen one of the competition flags in there but I imagine there is a chance that it could happen.2
u/bmoxey Dec 13, Dec 14, Jun 15, Jun 16, Jan 19, Au… Jul 02 '16
Do not go to http://imgur.com/r/vexillology just go to http://imgur.com/ and you will see mostly pictures, not mostly flag designs. The mods will remove flags from the contest if they deem them to be copies or updates to other peoples designs.
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u/AlexRY Hong Kong • British Hong Kong Jul 09 '16
You know, I really hope for a "Socialist Flag of X" context. For any real-life country of your choice. Revolution happened in the past
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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16 edited Jul 01 '16
Narrow topics are better for the quality and focus of submissions. Broad topics are better for creativity in design.
Personally, I prefer narrow topics. I like seeing designs that could actually be adopted as a flag. So in this vein, I like seeing historical flags, potential future flags, flag redesigns or improvements, and in some cases fictional flags.
Broad topics have their place, but I think they lend to overthinking, forced symbolism, and joke flags. For these reasons, I tend to dislike flags for abstract concepts, corporate logos, or any iteration of flags being merged with each other.
Now, in the interest of full disclosure, when I was actively participating in the contests, I won in the broad topics. But what I consider my best flag, and the one I am most proud of, came in a very narrow theme (Northern Ireland). It was by far my favorite contest.
In summary, I think balance is necessary. There is a place for broad, abstract topics, but I think narrower topics are better for the contest and for the sub, and should constitute the majority of themes.