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Illinois opens contest to redesign state flag (Updated)

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* Click here for some background. Illinois Flag Commission…

Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Illinois Flag Commission will start accepting public submissions for a new state flag design. […]

The commission was created in 2023 after Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner (48th District—Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District—Chicago) was signed into law.

The commission will select 10 designs based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois and will host an online public survey for the public to vote on their favorites or to keep the current flag. Voting will begin Jan. 1 and last six weeks.

After public feedback, the commission will report its findings to the Illinois General Assembly, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag or retain the current flag design.

The bill allows for the commission to evaluate if a new state flag would better represent the state’s diversity of urban, suburban and rural communities and inspire renewed state pride among Illinoisians.

* Our current flag…

* Here are the guidelines…

Some general guidance for submissions includes:

- Design elements can include natural features of the state, history and culture of the state.
- No limit on flag shape or ratio but designs may be edited by the commission.
- No limit on colors but recommended less than three colors for clarity of design.
- Participants can upload online or can submit their design via mail addressed to Illinois Flag Commission, Howlett Building, Room 476, 501 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62756
- Participants are required to provide their first and last name, address, email address and phone number. They are also required to explain their relationship to Illinois and provide a description of their flag entry (each category limited to 500 characters).
- To upload an image, the file will need to be 5mb or less and in PNG, GIF, or JPG format.
- There should be no watermarks or frames around the image.
- By submitting a design to the Commission, the designer is authorizing the Commission and the State of Illinois to take ownership of the design
- Persons under 18 may submit designs if submitted in coordination with a parent/ guardian, teacher or adult mentor.
- Designs cannot be copied from other designs or use existing logos or copyrighted materials; however, the design can include elements or reproductions of the State Seal or any prior Illinois State flag.
- Designs cannot be AI generated.
Submissions are limited to three per person.
- Submissions from outside the United States, i.e. military bases, need to be made by regular mail.

* Voters in Maine will decide on a new state flag design this fall. The new design…

* The old one…

…Adding… WBEZ…

The City of Evanston has a new flag, thanks to 7-year-old Bernie Allen-Harrah.

The rising second grader’s design was chosen as the winner of the Mayor’s Youth Flag Redesign Contest.

The competition was open to Evanston K-12 students. Finalists worked with professional designers who volunteered to help the contestants polish their creations. […]

MARY DIXON: How about if you describe your design for our listeners? How would you describe it?

BERNIE ALLEN-HARRAH: The green represents all of the trees in Evanston and the star represents Grosse Point Lighthouse. The beach represents the beach of Lake Michigan and the water represents Lake Michigan.

MD: So the beach is like a nice sandy color. And the water is a really nice blue color, right? What gave you that idea?

BAH: I thought of a map. And it’s supposed to be like, a map, like if you were to be in a helicopter, you would look down and you would see that

* Evanston’s new flag…

* What it replaced…

What are your thoughts?

posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 9:51 am

Comments

AI is gonna offer some WILD designs- good luck to those who have to review & figure out which ones are legit. No arms, hands, or fingers to give it away, prolly.

Comment by Loyal Virus Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 9:57 am
“No limit on colors but recommended less than three colors for clarity of design.”

I hope that they meant three or fewer.

Two colors would look like a mimeograph and one color would just be a field.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 9:58 am
If we do change our flag I hope we do better than Maine. Their new flag looks like a 6th Grade art project.

Comment by Mike Murphy Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 9:59 am
Loyal Virus - I have played around some with AI and state flags. They can truly be all over the place, but they almost all have a lot of trouble spelling Illinois correctly.

This is definitely exciting - Illinois has one of the more dull state flags. Especially comparing it to some of the city flags. Chicago flag, obviously, but I really like the Peoria city flag as well.

Comment by SouthLoopGuy Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:01 am
The current flavor in state flags is moving away from storytelling and alliances, toward signaling simple uniqueness.

Comment by Walker Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:02 am
I’m thinking that the new Maine design has four or five colors. I like it and I think it will look good from a distance.

Flags are like logos, and I know from experience that logo design choice can be an emotionally charged experience.

Comment by bhartbanjo Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:06 am
Including jail bars would probably not be a winner

Comment by Anonish Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:07 am
Simple is better which is why you see people flying the Chicago flag more than the state flag. But even simple requires some thought and an eye for design. Case in point the proposed Maine flag which looks like early 90’s clip art.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:10 am
Keep the eagle and shield, make those bigger, but get rid of everything else.

And have the eagle breathing fire.

Comment by Timmeh Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:15 am
Politicians are never at a loss on how to waste time and money on trivial matters……

Comment by Downstate Surveyor Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:20 am
Keep it the way it is

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:20 am
A Tully Monster in a field of soybeans.

Comment by DS Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:22 am
Huzzah. Illinois’ flag is not the worst–that would be one of numerous “seal on a blue bedsheet” flags–but it’s close.

If we’re lucky, we’ll end up with something as memorable and iconic as New Mexico’s “Zia Cross” flag. Amd even if we’re not lucky, it will still likely be an improvement over what we have today.

Comment by Benjamin Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:22 am
The eagle should be clutching an ear of corn, eating a Chicago style hot dog, and wearing a wire for the feds.

Comment by The Real Downstate Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:25 am
I want to see a mash-up of the old Maine flag and the current Illinois flag. It would have sooo much going on.

Comment by Fun with Flags Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:26 am
I was one of the few who likes the current flag but I won’t be a Karen about it. If it must be done, I feel it has to include IL name and the statehood date. What’s the point of a flag that nobody knows except a bare majority of the home residents. The new Maine flag is a perfect example of loss of identity. It [exclamation deleted].

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:27 am
== Politicians are never at a loss on how to waste time and money on trivial matters…… ==

If only our government was capable of doing more than one thing at a time, we wouldn’t have to devote all of the state’s time and resources to this matter and this matter alone.

Comment by Leap Day William Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:36 am
Hopefully, they’ll have a better screening process in place than this….

City Clerk Susana Mendoza unveiled a city vehicle sticker with a simple design Tuesday as she sought to move beyond the controversy that erupted when she yanked a teen’s winning sticker artwork amid concerns it might contain street gang symbols.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/04/17/new-chicago-vehicle-sticker-unveiled-after-controversy-3/

Comment by Butch Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:36 am
I’m thinking some kind of pun that combines nanotech and kernel communicated via one image. I may need help.

Comment by Apple Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:39 am
10% of the upper right corner of the flag a blue star, then the rest, a red field.
Like some seem to think of the state.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:45 am
Whatever they choose I hope it isn’t as busy as the new plates.

Those things are a convoluted mess.

Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:47 am
I’m probably one of the few that really doesn’t care either way about the flag. I don’t like or dislike the current flag. I’m not sure what will be accomplished by changing out the flag other than spending who knows how many millions of dollars to eventually get the flags changed out. Hopefully the flags themselves will at least be made in the USA or better yet Illinois.

Comment by Aaron B Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:48 am
===how many millions of dollars===

lol

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 10:51 am
Long past time. Our current state flag is a weird mishmash of a bunch of stuff that barely resembles or represents us, AND it’s poorly designed.

Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:07 am
Props to Mississippi and the Youtuber CGP Grey for kickstarting the trend to fix state flags. Way overdue. Utah and Minnesota have both made solid improvements, and Maine would make for a darn good flag if they change, too. Vermont needs to get off their keister and adopt the Green Mountain Boys flag already, too.

State flags can be a source of pride and merchandising. Let’s be honest, absolutely nobody cares for or likes our flag compared to the devotion that folks like Texans, Alaskans, Marylanders, New Mexicans, and Californians, just to name a few, have to their respective state flags. This isn’t just some waste of time thing, having a meaningful symbol for the state can help bring people together.

Look at city flags, for reference. How many Chicagoans and Chicago ex-pats love their flag? Millions. Meanwhile, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of boring municipal flags are scattered across the state that a majority of their own residents couldn’t identify at a glance even if to save their lives.

For a state with as much of a lack of overall state pride as possible (after all, an entire half of the political spectrum seemingly is in non-stop “Illinois stinks” mode when it comes to campaigning), having a central rallying point for identification of Illinoisans would be nothing but a positive.

Just follow the concept that flags aren’t name tags. Don’t include “Illinois” on any design, folks! California seemingly gets a pass only for historical connection to their national flag that lasted barely a vacation.

Comment by TJ Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:08 am
I like our flag. There is nothing obviously wrong with it unlike some states. I would want to keep it. The Evanston flag redesign looks much better, however.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:14 am
“absolutely nobody cares for or likes our flag”

I like the state flag. I always felt proud when walking past it in the tunnel from the senate office buildings to the capitol building in DC. I still do even though I haven’t lived in Illinois for over 12 years. I hate how every flag has to be a marketing commercial product these days. Living in Maryland now it is way over the top and diminishes the meaning and value of the flag. I’d wholly support a law banning the commercialization of the American flag.

Comment by CLJ Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:20 am
I’m really glad Illinois is doing this. As others have pointed out, a new design can bring energy and enthusiasm. I love the new Evanston flag. The NY Times did a great article on this trend last year.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/17/us/us-state-flag-design.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GU4.KT9c.Ngo1P0kJ-JrZ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

Comment by Montrose Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:21 am
Minnesota adopt a new state flag this May. It looks fantastic, three colors and does a neat job reflecting the state’s borders.
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/about-minnesota/state-symbols/state-flag/

Comment by Curious George Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:24 am
== I like the state flag. I always felt proud when walking past it in the tunnel from the senate office buildings to the capitol building in DC. I still do even though I haven’t lived in Illinois for over 12 years. I hate how every flag has to be a marketing commercial product these days. Living in Maryland now it is way over the top and diminishes the meaning and value of the flag. I’d wholly support a law banning the commercialization of the American flag. ==

People love what they love and like to flaunt it off, too. If you think that it’s wrong to have flag apparel and decals and the like, that’s fine, but it’s pretty clear that people with American flag and various state flag apparel and decals and stickers and the like do so because of a sense of pride for the state as represented by that symbol.

Not to mention that people are more prone to flying the flag that they like. If you like Illinois’ flag, that’s cool, but would you ever actually own the flag itself, display it prominently, or expect other private individuals to fly it themselves? Probably not, because I think you’d have to recognize that most don’t care for it. Meanwhile, Texans and Marylanders and New Mexicans all fly their flags to great excess and display them prominently. That’s a feature of a good and beloved flag, along with general state pride, not a bug of it.

Comment by TJ Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 11:34 am
Objectively good state flags:

Colorado
Utah
Maryland
Minnesota
New Mexico
Arizona
Alaska
Indiana
Mississippi

Bad flags:

Everything else

Comment by Oklahoma Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:06 pm
=== if you were to be in a helicopter, you would look down and you would see that ===

Very astute! Well done, Bernie Allen-Harrah.

Comment by H-W Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:15 pm
TJ is absolutely on the dot here. The current flag is “meh” at best and Illinois is anything but “meh”.

We’ve got some wildly talented folks in this state, let’s see what they’ve got in store!

Comment by Alton Sinkhole Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:18 pm
Whether the interest continues is a question, the new flag in Minnesota is being flown much more than the old flag. It’s a great way, as TJ mentions, to generate state pride.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:19 pm
@TJ

I don’t need t-shirts, sunglasses, and other objects emblazoned with the state flag, nor fly the flag, to demonstrate the pride I have of where I come from.

I just think this trend of new flags has gotten a bit out of hand and too often is driven by a sentiment that “our flag” is not as marketable or commercial as some other city/state’s flag.

Comment by CLJ Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:23 pm
How about a burgee, with Abraham Lincoln? To solidify our status as the Land of Lincoln and tick off Ohio at the same time.

Comment by Formerly Unemployed Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:36 pm
Also, keep the people who did the new license plates away from the flag redesign!

Comment by Center Drift Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:42 pm
I think we can all agree that whatever the new flag turns out to be, “Illinois” needs to be spelled that same way as Darrin Bailey pronounces it.

Ehllenoissss

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:52 pm
I care way too much about a new state flag.

State seals have no place on a flag. Very good ones have already been mentioned. It should be simple but instantly evocative of “place”.

I hope Illinois gets it right.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 12:52 pm
I was annoyed when Cook County announced it was getting a new flag — who needs a county flag? and then it was announced and I was annoyed because it was objectively cool the way it incorporate Chicago’s stars and the blue for the river and the green for the forest preserves.

I hope Illinois can come up with one as cool.

Comment by Suburban Mom Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:08 pm
instead of an Eagle on the flag we should have a phoenix, representing how Chicago rose from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire and how the state rises and remakes itself again and again.

Plus green for agriculture, blue for our great waterways.

Comment by Suburban Mom Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:15 pm
Can’t wait to draft some ideas up on Canva and send them in! The flag redesign process is so cool.

Comment by Lakeview Looker Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:21 pm
Ear of corn but instead of the cob of corn it’s the sears tower

Mostly joking, but I do think you could probably do something cool with agriculture (deep green or golden yellow, stylized corn) in the bottom half and then city skyline rising out of it

Comment by NewToSpringfield Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:24 pm
A pothole.
Kidding.

Maybe something like that sharp new Evanston flag.
Multiple colors and a symbol.

Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:35 pm
Why just why are we spending time on this nonsense.

Comment by Smh Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:35 pm
“Why just why are we spending time on this nonsense.”

You’re wasting time — we’re having fun.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:44 pm
What MrJM said.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 1:51 pm
We should just use the red/black framed Chicago crest from the Malort logo as our state flag.

Comment by sulla Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 2:39 pm
The more examples that get posted the more I dislike the idea. I suppose it’s like abstract art. Some people see beautiful art, I see it as a meaningless …

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 3:05 pm
Why do states even need flags? It isn’t like we’re going into battle in medieval Europe and need to keep track of which army is ours.

Comment by Ben Tre Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 3:26 pm
There’s too much going on with the current state flag. Too much text, meaning it can’t be double-sided or images will be going the wrong direction, too many colors that just muddy the image from a distance. Anyone, like myself, that grew up with it knows what it is at a distance, but for those who don’t know, it doesn’t convey anything until you’re on top of it.

For those concerned over the simplicity of the new designs, remember the US flag has three colors are two shapes. That’s it. It’s easily recognizable from a distance and stands out easily.

Keep the seal of the state the seal, but take it off the flag. Frankly, I think just taking that new Evanston flag would work if you added one more blue stripe diagonally on the hoist side (for the Mississippi River).

Change for the sake of change is bad. Change because a design over a century old is outdated is good.

Comment by Mike Sorensen Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 3:42 pm
How about a blue W on a white field? For Illiniwek of course.

Comment by thechampaignlife Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 3:57 pm
Let’s just have Bernie Allen-Harrah design it. She has vision, imagination, and drawing skills.

Comment by Lefty Lefty Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 4:29 pm
===keep track of which army is ours===

May be needed if we ever invade Wisconsin to seize everything from Milwaukee south. /s

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Aug 28, 24 @ 4:34 pm