5.2M views · May 14, 2015 · 18:19 · 3 HN recommenders · 6 mentions · discussed 2017–2023
Roman Mars gives a funny TED talk on vexillology, laying out five basic principles of good flag design and why many city flags fail them.
Why Hacker News points people here: The canonical reference on flag and logo design principles, cited in branding and design threads.
“one must watch the short talk on state and country flags”HN comment, 2020
“one must watch the short talk on state and country flags”
Short talk on good state and country flag design.
This is painful to see. It looks like a shopping mall or apartment building logo, compared to other states with proper flags. And it goes without saying, on this topic, one must watch the short talk on state and country flags: this video
“Roman taught me in his seminal TED talk”
Seminal TED talk on flag design principles.
> kids in first year of school should know how to draw flag from memory Roman Mars taught me that – well Ted Kaye, but Roman taught me in his seminal TED talk [1]. [1] this video
“99% Invisible does a great episode on what makes a good flag”
Explains what makes a good flag, citing Chicago, DC and Amsterdam.
Their flag is terrible: link 99% Invisible does a great episode on what makes a good flag, and why cities like Chicago, DC and Amsterdam have iconic, memorable flags: this video link
Talk on design philosophy and branding.
Rebranding, when done correctly, can be a great way to regroup and focus on what's important about your business. You really need to stop looking at it as just a new design, and look at what philosophy it exudes. This constant visual reminder of what the company's mission is resonates downward much better than a mission statement, and how clients/customers interact with you. This is of course if your rebrand was a success, and that's a very very difficult task dependent on all sorts of internal factors, that even the largest companies get wrong (see Gap, Uber, Pepsi). Don't listen to me though: link this video
“would think that’s “flag design 101”
Basic flag design principles.
American flag design continues to amaze with its ugliness. I’ve read link and watched this video years ago, and would think that’s “flag design 101”, but it doesn’t look like few designers know that in the USA.
This is an extremely difficult question that I've been grappling with myself. My first strategy is to create writings that can't be summarized. I try to make essays that are dripping with idiosyncrasy. I can't win in an information war, but I can stay competitive for ~10 years in a creative clash: [1] link [2] link [3] link [4] link [5] link I myself draw lots of my inspiration from my "sages of style", in the same way that AIs will try to replicate my voice. None of these great thinkers can be summarized or replicated in any meaningful way: [6] David Foster Wallace: link [7] George Carlin: link [8] Derek Sivers: link [9] John Green: link [10] Roman Mars: this video [11] Alan Kay: link [12] Alan Watts: link [13] Richard Feynman: link [14] Raymond Smullyan: link But style only takes you so far. My second strategy is to socialize IRL. This year, I'm starting a tech conference called "Outland" to foster community in an age where community might be all that matters. [15] link
