{"id":45,"date":"2015-11-15T19:29:15","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T23:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/?p=45"},"modified":"2021-08-31T06:19:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T10:19:28","slug":"redesigning-the-new-jersey-flag-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/blog\/2015\/11\/15\/redesigning-the-new-jersey-flag-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Redesigning the New Jersey Flag \u2014 Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a recent article<\/a> Brian Donohue of NJ Advance Media suggested that New Jersey\u2019s flag should be redesigned. He is certainly correct that our flag, which consists of the whole achievement of arms (shield, helmet, crest supporters and motto; technically the \u201ccoat\u201d of arms is only the shield) on a buff field is not well-designed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am not here trying to be critical of the arms themselves, just the use of the entire display on the flag. Donohue says that it is an example of a  \u201cseal on a bed sheet,\u201d and if you look at a display of state flags, you will see that is quite a common shortcut to a flag. The design is neither simple nor memorable. It is distinctive only in the buff background. (Most states using this pattern have blue as the background color.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When designing a flag, one should keep in mind that it is a piece of cloth; there may not be enough wind so that it is all readily visible. It should also be easily recognizable. I get particularly annoyed when words and numbers find their way onto a flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I think redesigning the New Jersey flag as Donohue suggests is a wonderful exercise, one need not go to far or look to use entirely new symbols. Instead, I believe that we should look to the nearby state of Maryland for converting the New Jersey\u2019s coat of arms into a simple and memorable flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryland derived its arms from those of Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who was the original proprietor of the colony. The entire achievement as currently used is even more complex than New Jersey\u2019s arms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not here trying to be critical of the arms themselves, just the use of the entire display on the flag. Donohue says that it is an example of a  \u201cseal on a bed sheet,\u201d and if you look at a display of state flags, you will see that is quite a common shortcut to a flag. The design is neither simple nor memorable. It is distinctive only in the buff background. (Most states using this pattern have blue as the background color.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When designing a flag, one should keep in mind that it is a piece of cloth; there may not be enough wind so that it is all readily visible. It should also be easily recognizable. I get particularly annoyed when words and numbers find their way onto a flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I think redesigning the New Jersey flag as Donohue suggests is a wonderful exercise, one need not go to far or look to use entirely new symbols. Instead, I believe that we should look to the nearby state of Maryland for converting the New Jersey\u2019s coat of arms into a simple and memorable flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryland derived its arms from those of Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who was the original proprietor of the colony. The entire achievement as currently used is even more complex than New Jersey\u2019s arms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Imagine that design on a white bedsheet; it would have the same issues as New Jersey\u2019s flag.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maryland, however, did not follow the example of so many other states. It uses only the design on the shield \u2014 the actual coat of arms \u2014 and uses a banner of the arms as its flag:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maryland\u2019s flag is rated as one of the best flag designs. I was in Maryland on vacation this summer and I saw it, or elements of it, all over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, my suggestion for a redesigned New Jersey flag is simply to use the a banner of New Jersey\u2019s coat of arms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a future post <\/a>I will propose some additional flags using this design as a starting point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a recent article Brian Donohue of NJ Advance Media suggested that New Jersey\u2019s flag should be redesigned. He is certainly correct that our flag, which consists of the whole achievement of arms (shield, helmet, crest supporters and motto; technically the \u201ccoat\u201d of arms is only the shield) on a buff field is not well-designed. I… Continue reading Redesigning the New Jersey Flag \u2014 Part 1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flags","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bohn.org\/wpmocha\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}