Design Synergy Through Fusion - Flag Edition

Igor — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:05:38 +0000

I think few would disagree that the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most iconic and beautiful banners in the world. It is instantly recognizable and coveys strength, unity, and authority. With all the complicated history between the United States and the United Kingdom it was not surprising that during my education I was not compelled to study British history. My ignorance of the origin of today’s Union Flag is a direct result of this; I hope that this article sheds light on the amazing strength of compromise and unity and makes up for my previous ignorance.
England was an country entirely independent of any sort of unifying moniker prior to 1603. In 1603 James VI, King of Scots became James I of England and thus began the union of two nation-states. The two kingdoms remained as separate entities until the first Act of Union was passed but 3 years later in 1606 a new flag was created to represent the new monarch and the union of England (at this time including Wales) and Scotland.
It was St. George’s Cross (red cross on a white background) and the St. Andrew’s Cross (white saltire on an azure blue background) combined which created the first Union Flag in 1606.

This familiar flag grew from its initial use to represent the navy of the newly formed alliance to the national standard of the United Kingdom and its colonies across the world by the time our founding fathers filed for divorce. Its roots as a navy flag can be seen in the shade of blue used, a darker blue was customary for maritime flags.
Other versions of the flag were proposed, after all, great designers always provide multiple revisions for their clients, and we can safely say that King James made the right choice.

In 1801 a new version of the Union Flag was adopted when the Union took on Ireland and became The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Union Flag was combined with St Patrick’s cross (thin red saltire on a white background) to create the flag we know today.

As a small aside, Wales, today one of the 4 constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain was conquered and annexed by England long before the reign of James I. Wales’ horizontally bisected Tudor colored (green & white) flag adorned with Prince Cadwalader’s red dragon had been replaced by England’s St. George’s Cross by the time the first Union Flag was adopted. Below is my version of what England’s flag would’ve looked like before 1603 if Wales and England would have merged flags, I’m glad they didn’t.

5 Immutable Facts About Senator Clinton’s Song Contest.

Igor — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:50:55 +0000

1. I’m glad Bill became a politician rather than an actor

2. Johnny Sac put on some weight

3. Viral campaigns are generally targeted at “the youth” and “the youth” loves their pop-culture references

4. In November 2004 Esquire readers voted for both Hillary and Celine as “Most Annoying Woman”

5. Benadryl is a closet sponsor of the Hillary Clinton 2008 campaign

Truth be told I think that this contest was a patronizing Web 2.0 stunt. It created publicity but in the end failed to connect with the target demographic. This further showcased how out of touch Clinton is with young America. Bill’s 1992 campaign and subsequent Whitehouse was full of youth and vitality and was a natural part of that culture. The Clintons are now older and the twentysomethings of the 1992 campaign are now fast aging Gen Xers who listen to Celine Dion and have all but missed being engulfed by the culture of the Internet.

geyfman.org journal

Design Synergy Through Fusion - Flag Edition

5 Immutable Facts About Senator Clinton’s Song Contest.