National Flags – Page 6 – Portland Flag Association

Hidden Beauty in Flag Icons

March 2, 2015February 26, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

The internet is awash in flag icons -- tiny representations of flags, in dimensions of a few pixels per side. Here are some 11-by-16 examples in the public domain, from http://www.famfamfam.com: Here's what happens when you blow them up. (Technically, these were enlarged to 413-by-600 size with the resize/resample function of IrfanView, using the… Continue reading Hidden Beauty in Flag Icons

Complexities

February 27, 2015February 25, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

The first principle of effective flag design is: Keep It Simple. Effective flags are meme-like, able to propagate themselves through human perception, memory, and action, and in this simple flags have an advantage. On the other hand, there are certainly many highly complex flags. As the simplicity principle suggests, these tend to be obscure, expensive,… Continue reading Complexities

Happy Mexican Flag Day!

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

February 24th is El Día de la Bandera de México, commemorating the day in 1821 on which the Plan of the Three Guarantees -- religion, independence, and unity -- was proclaimed by Generals Agustin de Iturbide and Vincente Guerrero, and the first three-color flag for an independent Mexico was created by José Magdaleno Ocampo. Flag Day has gotten a lot… Continue reading Happy Mexican Flag Day!

Flag Mnemonics

February 13, 2015January 30, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

From MemeCenter

Mother of Flags

February 12, 2015February 11, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

From We Know Memes - an example of "rage comics".

Polandball

February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

Here's another flagmeme from 2009 that has demonstrated some staying power: Polandball. From Know Your Meme®: Polandball is a cartoon character drawn in the shape of a ball with the color schemes of the Polish flag (white & red). It was originally featured in the multi-pane comic series that became popular in /INT/ (international) board… Continue reading Polandball

Paul The Octopus

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

Here's a cephalopodic flag meme from 2010. Paul the Octopus was a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) that lived at the Aquarium Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, best known for successfully predicting the outcomes of Germany’s 2010 World Cup matches. In a divination, Paul would “predict” which team would win a match by choosing to eat a… Continue reading Paul The Octopus

Dance Dance World Revolution

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

Here's an internet flag meme from 2009. Dance Dance World Revolution is an avatar dance meme featuring anime characters dressed in the color schemes of different country flags. It began as a fan artist’s tribute to the anime series Hetalia: Axis Power on DeviantArt and spread to Youtube, where it reached an international status with… Continue reading Dance Dance World Revolution

X Clan: Weapon X

February 5, 2015February 18, 2015 SDMLeave a comment

Brooklyn-based Afrocentric group X Clan released Return from Mecca in 2007. The music video for the single Weapon X features two flags: the green, gold, and red flag Ethiopian flag, and the red, black, and green Pan-African flag. X Clan: Weapon X. Directed by Dale "Rage" Resteghini. Uploaded to YouTube August 24, 2006, has 320,000… Continue reading X Clan: Weapon X

Flag Origami

January 30, 2015July 12, 2015 SDM1 Comment

A Japanese shop on Etsy, OrigamiLand Decorations, is selling a set of traditional folded cranes with designs adapted from the flags of 24 different countries: Japan, United States, Australia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brasil, Argentina, Canada, Spain, China, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Malasia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Russia. Displayed together, they… Continue reading Flag Origami