Flag Friday I

Flag Friday is a periodic discussion of the world's national flags; the project is explained and indexed here.

These discussions are about graphic design, and perhaps about nationalism and national symbolism in general. They should not be taken as critical of the countries, ideals, cultures, or people that the flags represent.

Afghanistan

Josh Parson’s flag ratings are several years old now, and the world – and the flag of Afghanistan – has changed in the interim. Here’s the flag he reviewed:


He gave it a grade of “C” and a numerical score of 56, citing its use of weapons – more of a concern for him than me, I suppose – and graven images, by which he means general fussiness.

Here’s the new Afghanistan Flag:



Michael5000: So we've got black, red, and green, with a white overlay representing "the classical emblem of Afghanistan with a mosque with its mihrab facing Mecca" on the red stripe. I like it! It's quite distinctive, as only Kenya and Malawi share the black/red/green tricolor and their bands are horizontal, not vertical. The emblem is too detailed to make a great flag element -- see Parson's Rule 2a -- but in this case the damage is not too bad. It is a single-color element, making it possible for an expert flagmaker to replicate it out of whole cloth if they so chose, and it appears to have reasonably venerable sociopolitical cred.

Grade: B


Albania


Parsons: Without explanation, he gives it “B-“, 65/100.

Michael5000: A "B-"? Are you kidding me? The Albanian flag is the schizz. As a distinctive national banner, it excels; it's the only red and black flag out there, and its graphic element is immediately recognizable. In terms of simplicity of manufacture, it requires only two pieces of fabric. True, the sewing isn't quite as easy as throwing together a tricolor, but I don't think the local Albanian Betsy Ross is going to have any trouble with a little appliqué. And for overall felicity of design, come on! It's a freaking stylized double-headed eagle, for crying out loud! Very badass, which is exactly what the resilient and often strong-willed Albanian body politic was aiming for. Whether or not you find it visually pleasing, you can't say it's not a very effective national symbol.

Grade: A

Runner Up: Best Flag (Figurative) in The L&TM5K Awards for Flag Merit.


Algeria


Parsons: Classifying it as “Eyewatering,” he gives it “C+”, 60/100

Michael5000: Parsons apparently dislikes the juxtaposition of contrasting green and red in the center of Algeria's flag. This isn't crazy of him; I hadn't noticed it before, but now that he mentions it the eyes do shimmy a bit if you stare at the little slice of green between crescent and star. But green and red isn't a problematic combination of colors in general, and the layout of this banner manages to get two common symbols of Islam -- the star and crescent and the color green -- out there, yet in a highly distinctive, immediately identifiable design. Neat trick.

Grade: B+


Andorra


Parsons: Classifying it as “Too Busy,” he gives it “C-”, 53/100

Michael5000: The tricolor base of Andorra's flag is a mashup of the flags of Spain and France, the countries that surround it and support its independent status. What Parsons is calling "busy" is, of course, the frimframmery in the center stripe. There are worse fussy emblems; this one has cows (cows are cool) and appears to be an authentically old-school national symbol. Yet, fussy emblems are always an iffy choice as a flag element -- Rule 2a, again -- and this makes Andorra's flag problematic. Note also that Chad and Romania share the blue/yellow/red tricolor, and that Moldova shares the same tricolor with a fussy central element. Of the three, only Romania's predates Andorra's, but unfortunately the reduction in distinctiveness takes something from a flag's effectiveness as a national symbol even if it has seniority.

Grade: C+


Angola



Parsons: Complaining of a weapon and a “corporate logo” look, he gives it “B-”, 65/100

Michael5000: We've talked before about the Angolan Flag on these pages. To summarize: it is extremely distinctive, complementing the same unusual red-and-black look we saw in Albania with a vibrant gold national logo. The graphic elements are simple but arranged nicely. On the downside, it rocks an increasingly dated hammer-and-sickle motif and features a machete, a tool that has unfortunate associations for many Africans. (The flag is also associated with Angola's dominant political party, but this kind of internal political problem goes beyond Flag Friday's brief.)

To my way of thinking, the problems of symbolism are for the Angolans to worry about. Even acknowledging that it has potential symbolic shortcomings, in any event, it's hard to think ill of one of Africa's best-designed and most immediately recognizable national banners.

Grade: A

Runner Up: Best Flag (Figurative) in The L&TM5K Awards for Flag Merit.


Antigua and Barbuda



Parsons: Classifying it as “Too Busy,” he gives it a “D”, 41/100

Michael5000: This flag was designed in a national competition, and is often the case the colors are chockablock with symbolism. The upshot is a pictorial depiction of the sun rising over the ocean into a deep-black sky, which is jarring, remeniscent of those Magritte paintings where part of the image is in nighttime while another part is daylit. In any event, framing the sunrise diagram with hot red wedges to create a "V for Victory" motif was a bad idea; it just makes the whole thing kind of cramped and ugly. Redeemed to an extent by whole-cloth simplicity and immediate distinctiveness.

Grade: C-

Flag Friday II will feature Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, and the Bahamas.