The MBoard

This is not about cigarettes or homosexuals. It says FLAGS, you dork. OK so a mixture of different events today prompted this, but I was thinking of flags. Obviously for a Canadian, you grow up with the Canadian and U.S.A. flags plastered all over your life, as well as the Union Jack, which I think are all very iconic and recognizable flags and are also just plain cool designs. But beyond those, what do you guys like in flag? Beyond "this is my country's flag so it rule hyah" crap, I mean. Feel free to post the meanings of the flags/why you think it's good. Also go ahead and say what flags suck out loud (I think Poland has a criminally mundane flag).

It's not that I'm part Bajan (but it helps) that I love the flag of Barbados (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Flag_of_Barbados.svg/750px-Flag_of_Barbados.svg.png); It's awesome in design just aesthetically but also it's meaning is cool too. The trident represents Neptune, god of the sea, as well the government (it's three points being a democracy for, of, and by the people), and also the "broken" sides of it represent Barbados' independence (breaking away from it's former ties as a British colony). The gold signifies the country's sand, and the blue represents the ocean and sky on each side.


Also I really like the flags of Israel (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/260px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png), Nepal (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg) (whose people actually decided to think outside the box (http://www.kameda-lab.org/private/flags/img/nepal.jpg)), Switzerland (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Civil_Ensign_of_Switzerland.svg/800px-Civil_Ensign_of_Switzerland.svg.png), Brazil (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/720px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png) (helps that it's my favourite soccer team), South Korea (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/800px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png) (SO so badass, and has been throughout it's few changes), and North Korea (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Flag_of_North_Korea.svg/800px-Flag_of_North_Korea.svg.png), aesthetically as I don't know anything about their significance really. These are flags you can look at and know what country that is.

I much prefer Japan's old rising sun flag (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg/180px-Naval_Ensign_of_Japan.svg.png) to it's current one (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/800px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png). The rising sun is one of my favourite flags ever, and I love putting similar concepts into my art (see: Mittens and Crumplehorn, etc.), it's current one (which isn't at all new) is iconic, sure, but it doesn't have that same "we're #####ing Japan" gusto.

Getting away from country flags, Canada's provincial flags are pretty boring to me. Many have a Union Jack in them, which is a far cooler symbol when it's alone and not pressed with something people don't know the meaning of (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/d/d0/20050425042011!Flag_of_Ontario.png). Others, that don't have Union Jack's sometimes adopt other countries' flags (Nova Scotia uses a bit of Scotland for example) but are still often yawnful.The exception to this is the Quebec flag. As much I dislike the separatist connotation of the fleur de lis, the Quebec flag is pretty bitchin' (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Flag_of_Quebec.svg/600px-Flag_of_Quebec.svg.png).

Any flag from anywhere of any type that is just stripes doesn't do it for me. Although I like Scotland's X-thing. Russia's flag was better when it was Soviet (sorry capitalism, it's true). Cuba's is kind of neat, and it's closeness to the U.S.'s (in aesthetic theme) makes me laugh about how much they hate each other.


No doubt this thread will sink into oblivion. I don't know. I dig flags.

South Korea is still my favorite flag and I don't know why. Israel is another great one, but I'm biased.

And wow, that old Japanese flag looks fantastic. Never seen that before. They should have kept that. Though I suppose it's a lot simpler and to-the-point with what they have now.

Anyway, this reminded me of an old idea I had to make my own nation and have my own flag and everything. The original joke was that the flag would just be green, no design. And everything in the country was green, and if you weren't wearing green clothes, you get pinched and/or lynched.

I've always adored the Welsh flag (http://www.cc4g.net/cms/downloads/Image/MIH/welshdragon.gif), mostly because of the dragon.

I also have a soft spot for the Mexican flag (http://sacketsharborschool.org/Academics/Secondary/spanish/home_files/mexico.jpg), but that might have something to do with my upbringing being so close thereto. I also love the story of the eagle (http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-life/general-information/mexico-flag.htm).

I love flags that incorporate animals (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Flags_with_animals), be they mythical or real.



ps: I'm actually pleased that the wikipedia page differentiates between draqgons and wyverns.

The Welsh one is pretty cool. I've always liked the image in the Mexican one, but again the stripeys.

The Zapatistas, a national liberation group in Chiapas (Mexico), has a cool, simple, but powerful flag (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_the_EZLN.svg/450px-Flag_of_the_EZLN.svg.png). It is also in prominent use by Rage Against The Machine.


Also, hate to say it and won't link to it, but in terms of a powerful icon, the NAZI flags were probably the best at it. Perhaps it's just infamy and it wasn't that way at the time, I don't know; Memories of my work in the great wars has been erased. But basically it slaps you in face with a "This is who we are. This is what we do." kind of thing. It's been said by Jack White (of The White Stripes) that, paraphrased, the most powerful colour scheme is red, white, and black; "From a NAZI banner to a can of Coca-Cola". But anyway, from a war strategist standpoint, where one would have to manipulate media and such things, the design is rather formidable.

Many of you aren't going to like this due to my TTGL hype, but looks cool on it's own. Even if it was from an anime series.

Union Lagann, mother #####ers.
(http://www.concretebadger.net/images/blog/tengen-toppa-gurren-lagann/union-jack.gif)

You silly Candians.
You can't even respect your own flag.

the Canadian and U.S.A. flags plastered all over your life, as well as the Union Jack, which I think are all very iconic and recognizable flags and are also just plain cool designs. But beyond those

Thanks for playing, Sandross.

Ukraine (http://flagspot.net/images/u/ua.gif)'s flag is simple and elegant. And I'm descended from them, so that helps.

Oh, and Libya (http://flagspot.net/images/l/ly.gif) for no good reason.

That's terrible.

I made a sexy-awesome flag for a country I created in philosophy class. I forget what I named it, if I did. They were vertical stripes, green-white-green, the green parts had thick black lines in the shape of Us, patterned like scales. That may have been too much, I'm not sure. Overtop that, a black silhouette of a winged snake-dragon sort-of deal. It curved downward into a bubble over the white (not looping) and the bubble had a small yellow circle inside with a yellow crown over it. I would have shown you the picture, but my computer died in June and I've been out of High School for quite a while. I might have the printed-out copy somewhere.

: Mikero  10 December 2008, 23:02:49

the Canadian and U.S.A. flags plastered all over your life, as well as the Union Jack, which I think are all very iconic and recognizable flags and are also just plain cool designs. But beyond those

Thanks for playing, Sandross.

Sorry, I totally tl;dr'd that.
So, I just let loose my patriotic retardation instead.

If you're too lazy to actually read half a paragraph, that's a serious statement about you.



The Welsh flag is what got me into dragon mythology, initially. Well, it's what got me in enough to start a book based on dragon main characters which I later scraped due to lack of good reading in it.

I think it's worth mentioning that the flags of Suwa, Nagano, Japan (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Suwa%2C_Nagano.png/800px-Flag_of_Suwa%2C_Nagano.png) and Phoenix, Arizona, USA (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Flag_of_Phoenix%2C_Arizona.svg/800px-Flag_of_Phoenix%2C_Arizona.svg.png) are almost exactly the same except with different birds (a Peng and Pheonix respectively).

---

And wow, that old Japanese flag looks fantastic. Never seen that before. They should have kept that. Though I suppose it's a lot simpler and to-the-point with what they have now.

It is awesome but it was actually mostly only used as the naval ensign until the end of WWII. Some maritime Japanese defense thing uses it now, but it as a negative association in nearby countries because of military background. But so does their actual flag, anyway.

End of discussion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Bhutan.svg)

Why does the flag have a Dragon drawn by a 12 year old on it?

ARE THOSE DRAGON BALLS

YES BUT NOT THE ONES IN DBZ

I like the Albanian flag.
(http://www.tofocus.info/images/flags/albania-flag.gif)

The Zapatista flag
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_the_EZLN.svg/450px-Flag_of_the_EZLN.svg.png)

and the The RAtM "flag"
(http://www.flagline.com/images/lpg/ratm(fist).JPG)

The irony here is that I'm partly colorblind, and can't see red.

Oh, Edge. Why did you just post some black squares?

... Red isn't black to me, tardo, it's gray.

Red is a #####ty color, anyway.

Red is a perfectly fine colour, slothead.

And the flag White Shadow posted is cool. Dragon aside. I've long sinced gotten over my favouritism of dragons.

Wait, who's colorblind?

I like Black Flag's flag.

(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/davidmendez01/black-flag-logo.gif)

Black Flag can go eat a dick.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the Zapatista flag here, or knows what it is at least.

Well, I quite like California's flag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_California.svg) and the Flag Puerto Rico uses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Puerto_Rico_(1952-1995).svg), though, I like the one I linked to, better than the current one. The only difference is that current one has a lighter shade of blue. And yes, I know it's a rehash of the American flag, but I like it anyway.

It's not a rehash of the American flag. It's a rehash of the Cuban flag.

Huh. So it is.

Here we have the ...Irish flag (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Ireland.svg) and here we have the Italian Flag (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Italy.svg)

Text the difference to FLAG! and win a free XBox 360!

I assume Italy's has red cause it represents tomato sauce. :)

Yep. I definitely am not into stripesy flags.

This flag (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Flag_of_Leinster.svg) screams IRELAND more than anything I've seen.

Why didn't they just stick to that?

What is this .SVG file?
I like it!

Scalable Vector Graphics.

I don't really know how to explain them 'cause I'm not entirely familiar with how they work yet, but apparently you can edit them as a text file and can CODE the bitches with stuff like actions similar to flash (eg: "onmouseover") and animations.

Since it's vector, it scales while preserving the shapes (so no blurring), but that much is obvious from the name.

And probably a lot more.
SVG is to raster graphics as PHP is to HTML.

EVERYTHING SHOULD BE THAT FILE FORMAT FOREVER THAT IS AMAZING!

It doesnt work for everything, but it is nice.

I've always been a fan of the "Don't Tread on Me" flag.