Which state flag is your favorite? (elementary school, elementary, district)

[spark240]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Incorporating the letter "C" on there is a nice touch, just to remind you it's the Colorado flag.

So should the United States flag have a big "USA" superimposed on the stripes?

A great flag, a flag that works as a flag, doesn't need any initials or names; it is instantly recognizable (even from a distance) by its colors and patterns.

[RuralCoastalGuy]

North Carolina of course...then Rhode Island and Massachusetts and Alabama and Maryland........

[66nexus]

DC
Maryland
NJ
Hawaii
NY

[recycled]

Maryland seems the most distinct of all, showing the religious symbols of it's immigrant settlers. Very unique and original.
Alaska is pure and simple, the ursa major pointing to the north star.

SC with the palmetto and crescent stands out from so many others that plaster all kinds of fancy state emblems on the flags. However, it looks like the flag of Pakistan which is also green with a crescent that symbolizes the Islamic faith. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.
Many other states have flags that are almost identical to other countries in color or design. The TX flag looks like they took the the flag of Chile and made the bottom stripe a little shorter. Several states took the French tri-color and slapped their emblem on it to come up with a flag, also not very original.

[picsesmauve957]

I like South Carolina's and Arizona's a lot.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm surprised nobody chose Pennsylvania yet. There is so much history wrapped into that small seal that is being guarded by a bald eagle and two horses.

[spark240]

Originally Posted by SWB

I'm surprised nobody chose Pennsylvania yet. There is so much history wrapped into that small seal that is being guarded by a bald eagle and two horses.

Maybe so, but a fine seal does not make a great flag.

The main problem is that the details that make a fine seal just aren't visible on a flag seen from any distance greater than a few feet, and the whole point of flags is to be recognizable at a distance.

[spark240]

Originally Posted by recycled

SC with the palmetto and crescent stands out from so many others that plaster all kinds of fancy state emblems on the flags. However, it looks like the flag of Pakistan which is also green with a crescent that symbolizes the Islamic faith. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.

Well, the field of the South Carolina flag is blue, not green.

"Islamic" crescent flags (which not all Muslims accept as a faith symbol) most typically have the open side of the crescent facing the center of flag (or to the fly end, if the crescent itself is centered), and often enclosing or facing a star or constellation. (See Algeria, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Singapore, Tunisia and Turkey, among others.) South Carolina's goes the other way.

[spark240]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Incorporating the letter "C" on there is a nice touch, just to remind you it's the Colorado flag.

Originally Posted by spark240

A great flag, a flag that works as a flag, doesn't need any initials or names; it is instantly recognizable (even from a distance) by its colors and patterns.

In fairness, I should say that although I don't especially like the Colorado flag, the "C" on it is drawn as more of a geometric shape, not a letter, and therefore does "work" in the way that flag designs should.

Its similarity to the Chicago Cubs logo, however, doesn't win it any points with me.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by recycled

Maryland seems the most distinct of all, showing the religious symbols of it's immigrant settlers.

Maryland flag is PURELY derived from the crest pattern of Lord Baltimore's family lineage: the Calverts and Crosslands. No religious symbology at all.

http://www.sos.state.md.us/Services/FlagHistory.htm (broken link)