Vexillology as a Case for Design Thinking & Awareness
‘Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed’, by Roman Mars
This is one of my favourite TED Talks on design. Roman Mars’ on-stage, reconstructed podcast discusses ‘design’ from a vexillological perspective. While design thinking may be perceived to be reserved for a learned and talented few, you can’t argue that design awareness and appreciation is for everyone. And it’s talks like these that help mark that path to enjoy the great designs around us.
Five Principles
The talk revolves around the five principles of good flag design, as featured in Ted Kaye’s book, “Good Flag, Bad Flag”. (A fun and easy 16-page read!)
The Five Principles are:
Keep It Simple. The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory.
Use Meaningful Symbolism. The flag’s images, colours, or patterns should relate to what it symbolises.
Use 2 or 3 Basic Colours. Limit the number of colours on the flag to three which contrast well and come from the standard colour set.
No Lettering or Seals. Never use writing of any kind or an organization’s seal.
Be Distinctive or Be Related. Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule but depart from these five principles only with caution and purpose.
I had not previously given much thought to flag design but now the principles are always front-of-mind when I review any visual communication (e.g. Ads, infographics, signage, logos). Of these, I enjoy looking at brand identities and visual systems the most. And the principles provide a lens to appreciate them. As a demonstrative exercise, I’d recommend comparing Singapore Bank logos with Singapore Town Council logos. See how (at least in my view) the former trumps the latter in terms of symbolism and distinctiveness.
Design as Discovery
“My mission is to get people to engage with the design that they care about so they begin to pay attention to all forms of design… When you decode the world with design intent in mind, the world becomes kind of magical.” - Roman Mars
Great design is all around us, yet invisible. It helps, therefore, to point to what makes a product valuable: how a design improves lives. One or a few of these pointers opens the world for discovery: beyond the beauty of the appearance and utility of a great design lies the ‘why’ it was specifically, purposefully designed that way. Adding to Mars’ suggestion, the key to this is to engage with a product that’s meaningful to you and mindfully deconstruct the ‘why’. Great design may be invisible but it’s definitely discoverable.
