It’s a Flag For Ants…! A Visual Designer’s Perspective on Selecting NZ’s Next Flag

Assume for a moment that you can get over your objections to changing the NZ flag.

Put aside the issue of the 26 million dollar referendum.

Choke down the emotionalism and emotionalizing if you can.

Forget about the conspiracy theories (don’t worry… the bad guys aren’t that smart).

Now imagine, without making any judgment, that the flag is changing. And think about this:

• How are you going to choose a new flag design?

In other words, what criteria will you use to make this decision? After all, what do you know about flag design? Or even design?

There’s a great, short article here that gives you some basic ideas on what you should be looking for.

And it’s written by a visual designer with more than 10 years experience. Disclaimer: He’s my brother. And he rocks.

Read the article. Learn some design basics and how they relate to choosing a new flag. Flag basics include why this is a rare design event, why it’s a flag for ants, and why logos aren’t flaggy eough for a flag.

Here’s the start:

New Zealanders, there’s a high possibility that we’ll be selecting a new flag in the not so distant future. So it’s time we had the ‘chat’.
If you were sick, you wouldn’t visit your accountant. Likewise, if your car had broken down, you wouldn’t call the plumber. So maybe you shouldn’t take flag advice from John Key, Beatrice Faumuina, or Gareth Morgan.

How about taking the time to hear from an actual design professional.

The rest is here.