This is a fun post for me to celebrate the launch of this website. It doesn’t have many flag facts (I’ll save them for individual state flag posts) but it will give you an insight to my opinions of flag design. My father is a graphic designer and I have done a fair amount of professional graphic design work myself (check out that sweet logo!), so I have spent my whole life looking through the world with a graphic designer’s lens. Therefore, I have some pretty strong opinions on what makes a good flag, most of which are hinged on two simple rules.
- They should be simple in both color selection (3 colors max) and design.
- They should be easily legible/recognizable at a distance (this means that state seals are a no-no).
However, as with art and design, there are always exceptions to the rules.
This post was harder to do than I expected. Choosing my favorites wasn’t the issue, there are just so many bad state flags that it was difficult to decide which was worse. Nearly half of the state flags are the states seal on a blue field so your going to have to do some scrolling before you reach the good ones…
50. Montana
State seals just don’t work on flags. They are too detailed and often too similar to easily distinguish from one another. This is especially true on a piece of fabric waving in the air, seen from a distance. That’s not to put down all state seals as some are very beautiful. Montana’s seal is not one of those. It looks like it was made in Microsoft Paint. The text, reminiscent of a high school sports banner, is the icing on the cake of terrible.
49. Kansas
The only reason that Kansas beat out Montana is that it has a sunflower on top of it’s terrible seal.
48. Wisconsin
While Wisconsin has a somewhat decent seal, the font makes it look more at home in a high school gymnasium than atop a state capitol.
47. South Dakota
At least the text placement is somewhat interesting. The colors combined with the monochrome seal are terrible though.
46. Vermont
Here’s the point in the list where most of the flags are virtually indistinguishable to a vast majority of people. Vermont’s state seal is centered by a very uninteresting tree.
45. Maine
Hey look, another tree! At least this one has people in the seal that reflect Maine’s history. Also, the “Maine” font in the ribbon is one of the better presentations of a states name. However, it is of my opinion that state names, or text in general, shouldn’t be on flags.
44. New York
More seals on more blue backgrounds. At least this is more of a landscape than a single tree.
43. Virginia
Virginia’s flag is pretty boring, but at least it has murder.
42. Kentucky
I give Kentucky credit for trying something different with the font. Too bad it’s a terrible font.
41. Utah
Utah’s seal is nice, but its too similar to any number of generic U.S. government seals.
40. Idaho
Here’s where the seals start to get a little bit better, even if they are still on a blue field. It’s too bad that Idaho’s colorful seal is so small on the flag.
39. Nevada
I also give Nevada credit for trying something different. While it’s extremely boring, at least this is recognizable for the seal’s placement… And its dullness.
38. Nebraska
Nebraska’s flag features a large seal making it easier to distinguish. And it has a train in it which is always a plus in my book.
37. New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s flag features another large seal with some added color, stars, and ornamental leaves. Unfortunately, it’s still a seal.
36. Michigan
Now we start seeing some rampant animals, one of my favorite elements of European family coats of arms. Unfortunately, the elk and moose make it look silly.
35. Pennsylvania
The only other rampant animals featured in state flags. This time it’s horses which are much better than the elk and moose. However, I think rampant animals should be left in Europe.
34. Connecticut
While not my favorite state seal, the Connecticut seal’s simple color palate and large size translate well to this flag and makes it my favorite of the flags with state seals on a navy blue field.
33. North Dakota
While the iconography isn’t very original, it works decently on the navy blue field. Also, it’s not a state seal which is a plus.
32. Minnesota
Finally something other than navy blue! Unfortunately just a lighter shade of blue. While some of the colors do pop, it’s a bit of a strange color palate to me.
31. New Jersey
Having been born and raised in New Jersey, I am very familiar with this flag and it’s hideous pale yellow field. As a child, I always thought it was the one of the worst flag designs. Now, I appreciate it a bit more, simply for the fact that it’s not on a blue field.
30. Washington
Washington’s seal is so on the nose that I find it goofy and endearing. However, it’s still just a state seal.
29. Massachusetts
While still just a state seal, this design really works well with the white field.
28. West Virginia
The West Virginia flag wouldn’t work as well if it didn’t have the blue border.
27. Arkansas
Here is where the flags truly become distinguishable from one another. Arkansas’s flag looks like a retro gas or oil brand. To me, it isn’t bad but it doesn’t necessarily work as a flag.
26. Missouri
The first in the list to employ stars and stripes. Unfortunately the seal isn’t much to write home about.
25. Delaware
In the spirit of full disclosure, I was a resident of Delaware for 7 years and grew to like its flag. It’s pale blue combined with the seal inset within the yellow diamond works pretty well for a state seal on a flag.
24. Iowa
Iowa’s flag, while visually boring, honors both its French and American heritage pretty well.
23. Florida
Florida’s flag incorporate’s the state’s Spanish heritage well, even with the state seal.
22. Louisiana
I give a lot of credit to Louisiana for having such a unique state seal and not feeling the need to enclose it in a circle on its state flag.
21. Illinois
Another state seal that works well on a white field.
20. Oklahoma
While I tend not to like flags with such bold text (as shown in the beginning of this list) I enjoy Oklahoma’s unique iconography a lot.
19. Oregon
You may be wondering how a flag that looks like this got so high on my list. It’s because of this:
Our country’s only two-sided state flag! There were some former two-sided state flags in the past but Oregon’s is the only one at the moment.
18. Mississippi
Say what you will about the Mississippi flag’s canton, but the flag itself is a clean design without any unneeded text.
17. Tennessee
Another simple and clean design. Almost a little too clean and a little boring.
16. Ohio
Ohio gets a lot of credit for going out on a limb and designing a non-rectangular flag. However, the stars look a bit haphazardly placed, like they were struggling to fit them into the design.
15. Alabama
Like Florida’s flag, Alabama’s pays tribute to early Spanish influence. The flag is very similar to Northern Ireland’s flag. However, it is written that Alabama’s flag features St. Andrew’s cross (the same as Scotland’s flag) while Northern Ireland’s flag has St. Patrick’s cross.
14. North Carolina
North Carolina’s flag is another one that ranks highly despite having text. It’s a classic design that just works.
13. Georgia
Similar to North Carolina’s flag, this is another solid flag design that breaks rules for the better featuring it’s state seal in the canton.
12. Hawaii
Hawaii’s flag is a striking design that recognizes its British colonial past while honoring its geography with eight stripes for the state’s eight main islands.
11. Rhode Island
My inner prep loves the classic nautical design and unique shape of Rhode Island’s flag.
10. Indiana
Honestly, I gained an appreciation for this flag from watching Parks and Recreation. It has a good color palate and easily recognizable design.
9. Wyoming
It may be that I have a soft spot in my heart for the American Bison (Genus: Bison, Species: Bison Bison), but I am willing to forgive the state seal for this memorable design.
8. Colorado
Here’s where we get into the flags that are so good that they have become cultural symbols in their own right. This may look like a 70s Chicago Cubs logo, but this bold design is full of Colorado symbolism, giving it top marks in my book.
7. California
The highest ranking for any flag with text. The California flag’s bear straddles the line of being just the right blend of realistic and artistic depiction.
6. Arizona
Arizona’s flag seems to capture the best parts of a desert sunset in one of the simplest ways possible.
5. Texas
There are several reasons that Texan’s proudly fly their flag, it’s design being one of them. It is a “bigger is better” classic that lovingly embodies Texas’ spirit.
4. Alaska
The Alaskan flag’s simple beauty is enhanced by it’s connection to Alaska’s state song.
3. New Mexico
A North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) poll ranked New Mexico’s flag first among all U.S. state and territory flags. And I have to agree that it is a strikingly beautiful flag. The Sun symbol in the center is sacred to the Zia people who inhabited the area before it was a state. They still maintain a small but important indigenous nation at Zia Pueblo. The colors also connect to the state to its time under Spanish rule. I placed this third because while I appreciate its design and connection to history, it’s connection to the founding of New Mexico as a state isn’t as strong as it is in the top two finalists.
2. Maryland
My current home state’s flag. I feel like Maryland’s flag is either a “love it” or “hate it” kind of flag. While the NAVA poll I just mentioned ranked it fourth, I’ve seen at least one state flag ranking that placed Maryland’s flag dead last. The first time I saw Maryland’s flag, I was immediately in love. The more I learned about it’s connection to Lord Baltimore, the more my love grew. It’s another one of the flags that “just works” for reasons I can’t really say. However, it is not my favorite flag. (See an in depth post on the Maryland flag here).
If you know someone from South Carolina, or even someone who vacations there, you’ve probably seen this design on everything from shirts to beer koozies. While I have lamented over the use of trees on previous flags, this design is different. I don’t want to get too much into the iconography of this flag as I will probably do a separate post on it, but the palmetto tree played a huge role in the survival of South Carolina (and even the U.S.) during the Revolutionary War. To me, it is a beautifully designed flag with plenty of historical significance that S.C. should be extremely proud of. (See an in depth post on the South Carolina flag here).
What do you think of my ranking? Leave a comment to let me know!
So I must admit I never paid much attention to state flags before reading this. I don’t know what my favorite is but I like Rhode Island, Colorado, Arizona, and Alaska best. You’re mentioning of the train gives you something else to have in common with Sheldon!
Great stuff! Here’s my top 10:
http://realfunwithflags.blogspot.com/2017/10/us-states-good.html
And bottom 10 as well:
http://realfunwithflags.blogspot.com/2017/11/us-states-bad-ugly.html
While a bit biased favoring Alabama’s flag for it’s clean, simple and uncomplicated design; I do agree with most of your choices and observations. When I was a kid, politics (the left lol) tried telling us that the Alabama flag was based on the Confederate Battle Flag. So I started looking into it and contrary to what you said, we actually are not sure why this design was chosen.
What we do know is that it wasn’t based on the Confederate Battle Flag as the design we’re all familiar with on that flag is not what people think… it’s actually the Confederate Naval Jack and was never flown on land making all the art and movies you’ve seen with the red field, blue cross and white stars all wrong. The flag flown on land was only a small square banner on a white field and people in the South did not actually want to secede so that the first few Confederate flags were variations of a red, white and blue flag.
As to it’s association with racism, the Confederate Battle Flag was used by Strom Thurmond for his 1948 run for the White House and not one instance of it being used for racism or by racist groups has been found prior to this.
As to why Southern whites cling to it claiming heritage. Over 33% of all whites in the South at the onset of the US Civil War were of Scottish descent. They were poor and there was a supply of the CSA Naval Jacks available to remind them of their Scottish heritage.
Look into it as it’s quite interesting in regard to US history as like Fort Douglass in Illinois, the Union tried to erase all traces of Scottish heritage in the South and succeeded so well that it was only in recent decades that the number of Scot’s in the South were rediscovered.
Now, back to the Alabama Flag. When they erased the history of the Scot’s in the South, they also erased the history of the Scot-Irish who traveled to the South along the Appalachian Mountains. They came from immigrants of Scotch Irish who had allied with Spain in the many wars of Europe and lost out. They used the St Patricks Cross and were even the first to bring the holiday of St Patricks Day to America rather than Irish Catholics as was supposed http://forgedinulster.blogspot.com/2012/03/ulster-scots-held-first-st-patricks-day.html
There’s a lot you can learn about history by researching it’s flags. Thus, it is quite possible the Scotch Irish St Andrews Flag is the true origin of the Alabama state flag rather than Florida but the Spanish would still be involved. You will find a lot of information about this out there if someone makes you aware of it so it would be interesting to add this to your information here after doing your own research http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/xhist/ScotsIrishImm.htm
Good list but one glaring error – Hawaii was never a British colony.
Good catch, I’ll fix the post.
SC Flag correction
“played a huge roll…”
Role is the correct spelling
Thanks for catching that!
I am in love with the new Mississippi flag. I adore magnolias. I am also biased because I’m from South Carolina. So here’s my top 5:
1. Mississippi (new 2020 flag)
2. South Carolina
3. Rhode Island
4. Indiana
5. California
Ask a 1000 people around the world to identify just one flag from the 50 United States flag, and the Lone Star flag of Texas will always come out # 1.
How do you say that the New Mexico flag is not as tied to its history as the top two? Everything about that flag is tied to the history of New Mexico. The Zia sun symbol is a tie to its Native American roots and the red and yellow are the same colors as the Spanish flag showing its Spanish roots.
You’re right, my thoughts on the New Mexico flag were not clear and a bit misguided. I have updated the text to better reflect my thoughts and cite the historical elements of the flag. Thanks for commenting!
Colorado and South Carolina are obviously the best. You see them everywhere. I am surprised you ranked Colorado so low. Maybe revise this and move CO up to the proper place!