Jessi Chambliss’ design is inspired by the world’s largest cast iron statue which sits atop Red Mountain in Birmingham depicting the Roman god of fire and forge, Vulcan. (Birmingham was known as the Pittsburgh of the South for its iron and steel industries.)Steve Kodis’ design is “a refresh of the original”. The colors represent the “founding industries” of railroads (red), cotton (white), and banking (gold), and the star “symbolizes Birmingham as ‘The Magic City'”.Robert Finkel’s design juxtaposes three white stars (symbolizing “Finance, Medicine, and the Arts”) on a red bar at the hoist with “concentric gold lines” on a white field filling the rest of the flag that “mimic steel rails” and form the letter B.
Please visit each design’s profile to learn more about it, and to see “applied uses of the design” — a smart nod to the requirement that a flag design function not only on the flag itself, but also in other contexts of use such as apparel and signage.
Here’s the incumbent design, which each of the proposals use as a point of reference:
Mrs. Idyl King Sorsby created this design for the city’s 50th anniversary in 1921. Bertha Bendell Norton in the book “Birmingham’s First Magic Century: Were You There?” writes: The white symbolizes the purity of Birmingham’s women. The red typifies the valor of Birmingham’s men. The gold hints at the mineral wealth of the Birmingham District, and also represents the “high standard of purpose and character” of our citizens. The large red star represents the marvel of the young city. The Seal of Birmingham, inscribed with the date of founding, 1871, occupies a gold-colored “hub” in the center of the star. The hub signifies that Birmingham is considered the industrial, financial and literary hub of the South. The star is circumscribed by a circle of 67 small golden stars, representing Alabama’s 67 counties enjoying Birmingham’s glory. A radiance of alternating long and short rays outside the circle of stars depict Birmingham’s fame and prosperity, and suggests that “all roads lead to Birmingham”. [from Flags of the World]
Portland Flag Association 