NEW UNION FLAG// TBM Submission

 These are the boards which are submitted to TBM. As well as showing off the new flag they explore the reasoning behind all designs....

The New Union Flag is a conceptual idea which has arisen from the distinct possibility of Scotland gaining independence in the 2014 referendum. The exercise is to establish what visual elements a New Union Flag would hold as well as its possible meanings and interpretations. My own design is visually revolutionary however the concept itself a simple evolution of the current Union Flag of the UK.

The Three horizontal bars running trough the centre of the flag are taken from the three colours which make the national flags of the remaining states within the UK; Red, Green and White. The Blue boarder represents the Ocean, signifying its importance in the history of the country as well as its physical nature; surrounding the British Isles and keeping us together.

Red from the St George Cross, Welsh Dragon, Northern Irish St Patrick’s Saltire. Hardiness, Resolution and Valour.

Green from the Welsh Flag. Earth, Agriculture and our Countryside.

White, the background of all three national flags. Peace, Purity and Truth.

Blue representing the Oceans that surround the British Isles and keep us together. Freedom, Justice and Prosperity.

 The New Union Flag is a simplistic interpretation of a set of morals, geographical attributes and independent national identities. I believe that this allows the flag to retain a level of nationalism; it should not appear to be too foreign to nationals because the concept involves the mixture of the member states national flags. Its simplistic design also allows the tone of the flag to remain fairly natural. The new flag has less ties to Empire, no religious symbolism and displays no affinity towards the Monarchy. It is a flag which offers a new identity on the surface, but still retains a core concept focused on history and our national identities.

Historically the primary function of a flag is to denote sides on the battlefield. By containing only four equally balanced colours the New Union Flag is easily recognisable. Although the three central colours are used by a number of different countries the addition of a solid blue border sets the flag apart visually. The concept of the blue boarder representing the ocean also speaks of our historically strong military past where the royal navy projected infantrymen to every corner of the globe.

Another application of theNew Union Flag is to represent the population of the UK. In many ways this will be the most sensitive area of transition from old to new as there is a huge emotional investment in our identity post-2012 Olympics. The advantage is the regional flags of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will remain the same, and the New Union Flag is still an amalgamation of the three, so the flag is still a celebration of unity.

As with any visual identity the form has to be recognisable at any scale. Because of the flags simple proportions it does not begin to look awkward at a large scale. At the same time and due to the same characteristics the flag does not loose readability at a small scale.

Here are the few examples of how various flags developed. Many of these ideas were refined into the final design. They display some interesting ideas I would have liked to have included in the final design, Including:

- Illustrating the Greenwich Meridian, which practically puts us at the centre of all world maps.
- Use of the Commonwealth star and various Northern constellations.
- A US style of counting districts and regions within the nation.
- A logical evolution which involves the black and gold welsh flag of St David replacing the Scottish flag.
-Combining the colours of all remaining nations within the UK and its crown dependencies and overseas territories.