I love how the "World's Flags Given Letter Grades" site pops up as an internet meme once every couple of years, even though it was written like ten years ago. It's a sign that the job was done right the first time.
« 'Biting the bullet' | Main | And then, unbelievably, both married twins had their kidneys stolen »
I love how the "World's Flags Given Letter Grades" site pops up as an internet meme once every couple of years, even though it was written like ten years ago. It's a sign that the job was done right the first time.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.colbycosh.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/179
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on January 12, 2008 1:30 AM.
The previous post in this blog was 'Biting the bullet'.
The next post in this blog is And then, unbelievably, both married twins had their kidneys stolen.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
Comments (8)
That's one thing we get right in Canada, flags. Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta, and B.C. are all great.
Posted by Ty | January 12, 2008 9:04 AM
Posted on January 12, 2008 09:04
Alberta's flag is wretched, it looks like a typical U.S. state flag. Most vexillologists tend to agree - "Shield on a field" flags are a dumb idea and generally get roundly panned.
Quebec's flag is terrific.
Posted by Tybalt | January 12, 2008 8:39 PM
Posted on January 12, 2008 20:39
Tybalt: Would it be better if we placed on it a Union Jack with the top-left corner taken up by Alberta's tartan?
The problem with flags, as with national anthems, is that any "modern" attempts to create them have fallen disgustingly flat.
Posted by FACLC | January 12, 2008 11:29 PM
Posted on January 12, 2008 23:29
Most vexillologists tend to agree
This has to be history's saddest attempt to overwhelm a conversation by citing unchallengeable authority. That said, shield-on-field flags probably ought to be deprecated, but the relative simplicity and legibility of the Alberta coat of arms mitigates the issue. It could have been a LOT worse.
Posted by Colby Cosh | January 13, 2008 3:37 AM
Posted on January 13, 2008 03:37
Indeed. Primary colours are important, but so is simplicity. The "Flag of Lethbridge" looks like an early video game where the video card's look-up tables went hideously wrong.
Posted by Garth Wood | January 13, 2008 9:45 AM
Posted on January 13, 2008 09:45
"Shield on a field" flags are a dumb idea and generally get roundly panned.
Alberta's is different from the other ones in the states...it's a very clean and uncomplicated shield, and doesn't have "ALBERTA" and "1905" in white capital letters across the bottom.
There was a cool link on the Wiki about a Manitoba flag contest:
http://www.mts.net/~hajones/portfol/flag.htm#flag
Posted by Ty | January 13, 2008 12:27 PM
Posted on January 13, 2008 12:27
Sorry, Colby - wasn't trying to cut off discussion or present unchallengeable authority, just giving my views and relating those of others who see a lot of flags. I am a NAVA member and we have these discussions a lot. :) As in any aesthetic discussion, there is no authority.
Alberta does have a very nice coat-of-arms, which is (as is pointed out elsewhere) a huge benefit. In the last NAVA survey of provincial and state flags, Alberta came out around the middle, which shows me that people who care about flags think it's not too horrible.
P.S. Lethbridge - I don't know if I'd seen that before. Wow.
Posted by Tybalt | January 14, 2008 10:40 AM
Posted on January 14, 2008 10:40
"It's a sign that the job was done right the first time."
Agree generally, but how come the square Vatican City flag gets points off for "bad shape", while the square Swiss flag gets extra points for "good shape"?
Posted by Chris B. | January 16, 2008 11:54 AM
Posted on January 16, 2008 11:54