Vice President Joseph Biden unveiled today the work of an until now little-noticed White House task force that has been looking at ways to improve America’s image, at home and abroad. The result: a fresh new American flag for Spring 2015, that will be made official by an executive order to be signed this afternoon by President Obama.
Biden explained,
No aspect of our national brand is more important than Ole Glory, but the Task Force on Reinvigorating the American Dream (RAD) uncovered some troubling findings. After exhausting interviews with branding and design experts in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Dubai the RAD force discovered that our current flag was just, well, old and boring — and long overdue for a makeover.
“But wait!” I hear you say, “You can’t just go around redesigning the American flag! It’s a sacred relic of our national civic religion!” To which I say: Is the Pope not Argentinian? But not to worry. We pushed back against some of the more radical advice we received, and in close consultation with the world-renowned authority on color, Pantone LLC, we have come up with a way of keeping the beloved design intact with only some subtle, but highly fashionable, changes to the official colors.
Color is key, the vice president and frequent Amtrak user asserted. To be fashionable, he said, you have to keep on top of the “in” colors as they change from season to season. And for 2015, the Pantone Color of the Year is 18-1438 Marsala:
Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. (From Pantone Color Intelligence: Why Marsala)
So, this afternoon, the president will order that instead of Old Glory Red, the US flag will use Marsala — or Old Glory Marsala, as it will henceforth be known. “Replacing OG Red with Marsala was basically a no-brainer,” Biden continued. “As the folks at Pantone found, it’s equally appealing to men and women, and while dramatic, it’s at the same time grounding.”
The darker, some might say dried blood color of Marsala challenged the task force to come up with a replacement for Old Glory Blue, which if combined with OG Marsala would have resulted in a “way too somber” flag. Looking at the Nine Other Approved Colors in the Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2015, RAD rejected the too-similar 19-4052 Classic Blue, opting instead for 16-4725 Scuba Blue (now renamed Old Glory Scuba Blue).
The resulting flag may not be to everyone’s taste, but it will certainly make America and the world stand up and take notice: America is all about change you — and Pantone — can believe in.
Portland Flag Association 
i LIKE THIS NEW FLAG.
Well done!