Via Travelling Shoes I learn about:
Rem Koolhaas and that Barcode FlagThe announcement today by the European Union that it's considering a new flag, one designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and looking sort of like a barcode, comes as something of a shock, although it probably shouldn't.

I think it's kinda cool, actually. It's hard to come up with a new idea for a flag, and Koolhaas seems to have done it.
Posted by: Randolph Fritz | Sep 16, 2003 at 01:35 AM
Besides the flag being ugly and impossible to reproduce as a simple symbol I think it also sends the wrong message. A flag should be a symbol of unity. This flag is just an assembly of individual elements, giving no indication that individuals sacrafice something to be a part of a group. Europe can try to find a common symbol, but I doubt that will be possible given all the history between different regions. They somehow were able to agree on the current flag, so what is the problem with just putting some more stars on that flag. Perhaps they could do with a bit more creativity in the design, as the simplicity element will disappear with 25 stars, but the idea still works.
BTW: When I first saw that flag design in Wired I just assumed that it was a joke, not a real proposal. If you want to see a real interesting proposal for a flag redesign then check this out:
http://www.yahooserious.com/flag/flag.html
Posted by: Rich | Sep 16, 2003 at 06:27 AM
I kind of like it.
Posted by: Michael Jennings | Sep 16, 2003 at 08:28 AM
Bad, very bad.
Posted by: Aaron | Sep 16, 2003 at 10:31 AM
Next you'll tell us it will be it stamped on the foreheads of all loyal Europeans.
Has to be a joke, right?
Posted by: Kari | Sep 16, 2003 at 11:56 AM
As someone who, as a kid, pored over the flag sections of almanacs and atlases, I find this really intriguing - who's black, red and yellow rather than black, yellow, and red? What was the basis for the order? I also like to picture it as letterhead, just a strip at the top and bottom of the page - just tall enough, actually, to return most of the flags to their proportions.
Anyway, that's not to say that I think it's a great _flag_. Dizzying, and bound to get more so. And I appreciate the comment about unity (or the lack thereof). But then, the EU isn't about unity - at least not the way the US is (or has become). Handy as the Euro is, almost everyone seems to miss guilders and pesos. I cringe to think of a Europe where the nations are as distinct as states.
Hey, getting back to my letterhead comment - why not a flag with a solid field in the middle, then strips top and bottom? Arguably too much like the US flag, but not really. And a lot less visually jarring than this one.
Posted by: JRoth | Sep 16, 2003 at 12:02 PM
I'd propose that member flags be placed left to right in the order of joining (randomized within simultaneous groups). As more nations join, just append their flags on the right and squish everything together a little bit more...Eventually, things would be so squished that you wouldn't be able to determine the individual elements anymore, but just a blur of color; a flag that would represent an "e pluribus unum" much better than the US's discrete stars.
Of course, the letterhead would be even more appropriate in this light. In the proportions of a flag, the colors would blend together, displaying unity. In the proportions of letterhead, the individual member flags would be identifiable, demonstrating that unity was not acheived at the price of individuality.
Screw this planning thing; maybe I should go into marketing.
Posted by: Murph | Sep 17, 2003 at 10:49 AM
1. The 12 stars aren't supposed to represent the member states!
2. I certainly don't miss the Deutschmarks.
3. http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/~josh/flags/intro.html
Posted by: uli | Apr 28, 2004 at 07:41 AM
this is a good european flag because all of the flags from europe are in this flag. they are stretched so thats why it looks like a barcode but this is good thinking.
Posted by: remco | Apr 26, 2005 at 06:01 AM