My OperaFive coolest national state flags showdown
Friday, January 14, 2011 5:27:27 PM
Because Olaf asked on formspring.
Well, okay, let us make this into a contest. To simplify the selection I will choose to interpret "national" as "belonging to national states", otherwise I will be researching flags until June.
A few words on my tastes first:
A good flag must:
- be easily recognisable
- not be too detailed for them to be easily reproduced (sorry Uruguay, Belize, Kirghistan, Albania, Sri Lanka, etc) This point is important or Bhutan would win on walkover on account of a BLOODY DRAGON.
- be pretty to look at
- not have letters on them (sorry, Brazil)
- not have detailed pictures or the shape of their own country on them (you are all best left unnamed)
And off we go:
Nordic Cross Division (love the Nordic cross design)
They're all pretty good, really. Danebrogen has the age and history going for it, and its design sort of speaks of age and dignity in some sort of strangely subtle way, too, compared to the sleeker lines of Sweden and Norway or the thicker lines of Finland. But still, white cross on red, it might be dignified, but it is not that pretty. For once, age on its own is not carrying the day with me. Since I can disregard all the smaller flags, that leaves Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The fatter cross of Finland does not aesthetically appeal to me, and the combination of blue and yellow in the Swedish one might be daring, but I don't think it quite works as well as it should. Norway or Iceland, that one is a pickle. I have a genuinely hard time deciding, and whichever one I pick, I can't figure out if I do so trying to counter-balance my nationalist preferences and nostalgia, or simply adhering to them. To heck with it, let us just move to the next category for now.
Crescent Moon With Star Division
Another can't-go-too-wrong one. Simple, elegant, and yet easily made distinctive. Pakistan's is really good, but the white line on the left is throwing me off. Malaysia's interesting, but I think the US did a better job of that basic design (they still have a leg up on Liberia though). Singapore's a decent flag, but the big red strip above big white strip still leaves me very underwhelmed. Turkey, Turkey has the quintessential one in this category - but the design of the moon and the star itself could be nicer (like on Pakistan's). And again, what is what the red and white? Comoros does a good job with the moon and stars and everything, but with all the coloured stripes, it just ends up as too busy. Same could be said for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan - I have no idea what is even happening on that one.
Unless I am overlooking some - which I likely am - this means that the category is down to Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria. I quite frankly love all three, so, again I will postpone a decision.
Single Star Division
Many of these are quite nice (Somalia, Micronesia, Morocco), even they do not really stand out. The three flags which really make impacts in this category are the Marshall Islands, North Korea and Israel, and quite frankly, the Marshall Islands mop the floor with the competition. Easily recognisable and yet only slightly too nuanced to meet my "must be simple enough that a native six year old can build it in Lego without a model on hand" criteria for a good flag, I am willing to pretend that might still be the case with this one. Good going!
Everyone Else
Yeah, I could make tons more divisions. The ones that have just coloured stripes do not stand a chance, though, so they might as well not have a division, and after that, it gets too complicated to start sorting much more.
Important mentions in no particular order: China, Canada, United States of America, Barbados, Greece, Japan, Nepal, Zaire (maybe slightly too complicated), United Kingdom (ditto), Libya, Qatar, Maldives, and possibly Jamaica. I am also intrigued by Georgia's, but, that's neither here nor there.
I was going to pick the top five. My list right now, then, is:
Iceland
Norway
Mauritania
Tunisia
Algeria
Marshall Islands
China
Canada
United States of America
Barbados
Greece
Japan
Nepal
United Kingdom
As you already can see, I decided Zaire was too complicated, and Libya, Qatar, the Maldvies and Jamaica's contestants not memorable enough.
Now, how to narrow this down to five?! Well, so far, I have gone by a more general "best flags" sort of policy. If I am now going to look more closely at the question asked, it does not say that, it says "coolest". Since I think a flag needs to fill its basic functions (listed above) very well to qualify for being cool (stop shouting about that dragon, Bhutan!), I think has been a reasonable process to get the finalists, but now we leave all other merits behind, cool is all that counts.
Norway and Iceland... Norway's is cooler. It's got dignity, but it also has something rather young and vigorous about it. Iceland's seem somehow more dour, serious, almost sad - likely because of the heavy amounts of dark blue.
As for the moons, I am booting Tunisia. It looks fantastic, but the white on red is a little too anonymous in the flag world. Mauritania and Algeria both make it into the finals with Norway and the Marshall Islands.
The Union Jack might be a tad complicated, but it is darned iconic. And it lends itself to being iconic, looking somehow like an explosion outwards, having a lot of energy. Red, white and blue work well together in a flag, and few if any combine them this thoroughly with this much elegance. Call me an Anglophile and you would tell no lie, but I am keeping the Brits in the running. I think this flag is cool.
I have enormous respect for the Canadian flag. It is quite awesome how they managed to find a symbol that is so simple, so well suited for a flag, and yet completely unused. That is COOL. My bias here is actually against - darned white on red again, the Danes taint everything - but it is so simple and yet so incredibly distinctive, I have to let it go to the finals. Likely going to be pushed out next round, though.
China has a lot of the same going for it, if much less originality in the choice of symbols. Stars are a little... done to death. Not very cool. Out it goes.
Ah, the USA. Brilliant flag, of course. Must take forever to draw, but brilliant. That said, it is just a tad too crowded for me. Something about all those stripes and all those stars in one little piece of fabric, I don't know. Striking, imposing, original. But not sleek enough to be as cool as the finalists need. Next.
Barbados is just a shoe-in. A TRIDENT? And I thought the maple leaf was distinctive yet simple! And original yet tasteful colour choices.
Greece suffers from the same problems as the US, but more so. Out it goes.
Japan... man, I cannot make up my mind about this one. I think I am keeping it in. Somehow, it is just so daring, the red ball on the white. Daring is rather cool, is it not?
Nepal's is the only flag in the world not bending to the rule of the rectangle. Props. Finals.
So.
Nepal, Japan, Barbados, Canada, United Kingdom, Mauritania, Algeria, Norway and the Marshall Islands.
A lot can be said about the Nordic cross, almost all of it in its favour, but the time when aggressive Christianity was cool is pretty much over. So on grounds of not quite cool enough, out goes Norway. I should have kept the Danes in the running longer, with their damned historical presence adding buckets of cool they could have won this thing.
That leaves 8. Three most go. Okay, well, Japan, I was not sure about you, so out. Canada, you too. Leaf is cool, tridents are just so way cooler. Mauritania, now that I look at you for the fifth time today, why is your moon SLEEPING? It looks rather silly. Not cool at all. My favourite colour being green can only help you so much. Boot, bat, bastinado.
So. Five coolest flags?
5. Nepal
4. Marshall Islands
3. The United Kingdom
2. Algeria
1. Barbados
Well, okay, let us make this into a contest. To simplify the selection I will choose to interpret "national" as "belonging to national states", otherwise I will be researching flags until June.
A few words on my tastes first:
A good flag must:
- be easily recognisable
- not be too detailed for them to be easily reproduced (sorry Uruguay, Belize, Kirghistan, Albania, Sri Lanka, etc) This point is important or Bhutan would win on walkover on account of a BLOODY DRAGON.
- be pretty to look at
- not have letters on them (sorry, Brazil)
- not have detailed pictures or the shape of their own country on them (you are all best left unnamed)
And off we go:
Nordic Cross Division (love the Nordic cross design)
They're all pretty good, really. Danebrogen has the age and history going for it, and its design sort of speaks of age and dignity in some sort of strangely subtle way, too, compared to the sleeker lines of Sweden and Norway or the thicker lines of Finland. But still, white cross on red, it might be dignified, but it is not that pretty. For once, age on its own is not carrying the day with me. Since I can disregard all the smaller flags, that leaves Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The fatter cross of Finland does not aesthetically appeal to me, and the combination of blue and yellow in the Swedish one might be daring, but I don't think it quite works as well as it should. Norway or Iceland, that one is a pickle. I have a genuinely hard time deciding, and whichever one I pick, I can't figure out if I do so trying to counter-balance my nationalist preferences and nostalgia, or simply adhering to them. To heck with it, let us just move to the next category for now.
Crescent Moon With Star Division
Another can't-go-too-wrong one. Simple, elegant, and yet easily made distinctive. Pakistan's is really good, but the white line on the left is throwing me off. Malaysia's interesting, but I think the US did a better job of that basic design (they still have a leg up on Liberia though). Singapore's a decent flag, but the big red strip above big white strip still leaves me very underwhelmed. Turkey, Turkey has the quintessential one in this category - but the design of the moon and the star itself could be nicer (like on Pakistan's). And again, what is what the red and white? Comoros does a good job with the moon and stars and everything, but with all the coloured stripes, it just ends up as too busy. Same could be said for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan - I have no idea what is even happening on that one.
Unless I am overlooking some - which I likely am - this means that the category is down to Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria. I quite frankly love all three, so, again I will postpone a decision.
Single Star Division
Many of these are quite nice (Somalia, Micronesia, Morocco), even they do not really stand out. The three flags which really make impacts in this category are the Marshall Islands, North Korea and Israel, and quite frankly, the Marshall Islands mop the floor with the competition. Easily recognisable and yet only slightly too nuanced to meet my "must be simple enough that a native six year old can build it in Lego without a model on hand" criteria for a good flag, I am willing to pretend that might still be the case with this one. Good going!
Everyone Else
Yeah, I could make tons more divisions. The ones that have just coloured stripes do not stand a chance, though, so they might as well not have a division, and after that, it gets too complicated to start sorting much more.
Important mentions in no particular order: China, Canada, United States of America, Barbados, Greece, Japan, Nepal, Zaire (maybe slightly too complicated), United Kingdom (ditto), Libya, Qatar, Maldives, and possibly Jamaica. I am also intrigued by Georgia's, but, that's neither here nor there.
I was going to pick the top five. My list right now, then, is:
Iceland
Norway
Mauritania
Tunisia
Algeria
Marshall Islands
China
Canada
United States of America
Barbados
Greece
Japan
Nepal
United Kingdom
As you already can see, I decided Zaire was too complicated, and Libya, Qatar, the Maldvies and Jamaica's contestants not memorable enough.
Now, how to narrow this down to five?! Well, so far, I have gone by a more general "best flags" sort of policy. If I am now going to look more closely at the question asked, it does not say that, it says "coolest". Since I think a flag needs to fill its basic functions (listed above) very well to qualify for being cool (stop shouting about that dragon, Bhutan!), I think has been a reasonable process to get the finalists, but now we leave all other merits behind, cool is all that counts.
Norway and Iceland... Norway's is cooler. It's got dignity, but it also has something rather young and vigorous about it. Iceland's seem somehow more dour, serious, almost sad - likely because of the heavy amounts of dark blue.
As for the moons, I am booting Tunisia. It looks fantastic, but the white on red is a little too anonymous in the flag world. Mauritania and Algeria both make it into the finals with Norway and the Marshall Islands.
The Union Jack might be a tad complicated, but it is darned iconic. And it lends itself to being iconic, looking somehow like an explosion outwards, having a lot of energy. Red, white and blue work well together in a flag, and few if any combine them this thoroughly with this much elegance. Call me an Anglophile and you would tell no lie, but I am keeping the Brits in the running. I think this flag is cool.
I have enormous respect for the Canadian flag. It is quite awesome how they managed to find a symbol that is so simple, so well suited for a flag, and yet completely unused. That is COOL. My bias here is actually against - darned white on red again, the Danes taint everything - but it is so simple and yet so incredibly distinctive, I have to let it go to the finals. Likely going to be pushed out next round, though.
China has a lot of the same going for it, if much less originality in the choice of symbols. Stars are a little... done to death. Not very cool. Out it goes.
Ah, the USA. Brilliant flag, of course. Must take forever to draw, but brilliant. That said, it is just a tad too crowded for me. Something about all those stripes and all those stars in one little piece of fabric, I don't know. Striking, imposing, original. But not sleek enough to be as cool as the finalists need. Next.
Barbados is just a shoe-in. A TRIDENT? And I thought the maple leaf was distinctive yet simple! And original yet tasteful colour choices.
Greece suffers from the same problems as the US, but more so. Out it goes.
Japan... man, I cannot make up my mind about this one. I think I am keeping it in. Somehow, it is just so daring, the red ball on the white. Daring is rather cool, is it not?
Nepal's is the only flag in the world not bending to the rule of the rectangle. Props. Finals.
So.
Nepal, Japan, Barbados, Canada, United Kingdom, Mauritania, Algeria, Norway and the Marshall Islands.
A lot can be said about the Nordic cross, almost all of it in its favour, but the time when aggressive Christianity was cool is pretty much over. So on grounds of not quite cool enough, out goes Norway. I should have kept the Danes in the running longer, with their damned historical presence adding buckets of cool they could have won this thing.
That leaves 8. Three most go. Okay, well, Japan, I was not sure about you, so out. Canada, you too. Leaf is cool, tridents are just so way cooler. Mauritania, now that I look at you for the fifth time today, why is your moon SLEEPING? It looks rather silly. Not cool at all. My favourite colour being green can only help you so much. Boot, bat, bastinado.
So. Five coolest flags?
5. Nepal
4. Marshall Islands
3. The United Kingdom
2. Algeria
1. Barbados
