Flags are weird. We treat them like sacred relics, yet most of us can't even tell them apart from a distance. If you look at all American state flags together, you’ll notice a depressing trend: a whole lot of blue backgrounds with messy gold seals slapped in the middle. It’s a design nightmare.
Vexillologists—that’s the fancy word for flag experts—have been screaming into the void about this for decades. Ted Kaye, a massive name in the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), literally wrote the book on this called Good Flag, Bad Flag. He argues that a flag should be so simple a child can draw it from memory. Most US states failed that assignment. Badly.
But things are changing. We’re in the middle of a "Great Flag Renaissance" where states are finally realizing that having a "seal on a bedsheet" (S.O.B.) is a branding disaster.
The Seal on a Bedsheet Problem
Take a look at the flags of Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Seriously, pull them up on your phone right now. If you were standing 50 feet away, they would all look identical. Just a dark blue rectangle with some unrecognizable clump of yellow and white in the center.
This happened because many of these designs were born out of the Civil War era or shortly after. States wanted to look official. They wanted to look "stately." So, they just took their official state seal—which was designed to be stamped on paper, not flown on a pole—and threw it on a blue field. It was lazy.
Virginia’s flag is famous because it features a woman standing on a dead guy (tyranny) and showing a bit of skin. It’s the only state flag with nudity. That's a fun trivia fact, sure, but it's still a terrible flag design. Why? Because you can't see "Sic Semper Tyrannis" when the wind isn't blowing. It just looks like a blue blob.
The Good Ones: Maryland, New Mexico, and the Icons
If we’re talking about all American state flags, we have to talk about the gold standards. Maryland is the wild child. It’s loud. It’s yellow, black, red, and white. It looks like a medieval knight’s shield. While it breaks the "keep it simple" rule, it succeeds because it is incredibly distinct. You can recognize Maryland’s flag from a mile away. It’s based on the heraldic colors of the Calvert and Crossland families, the founders of the Maryland colony. It’s bold. It’s unapologetic.
Then you have New Mexico.
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Honestly, it might be the best flag in the world. It’s just a red Zia sun symbol on a yellow field. That’s it. It honors the indigenous history of the state without being cluttered. It uses the colors of old Spain. It’s minimalist perfection.
South Carolina is another heavy hitter. The Palmetto tree and the crescent. Fun fact: that crescent isn't a moon. It’s actually a "gorget," which was a piece of armor worn around the neck by soldiers during the Revolutionary War. It’s simple, it’s iconic, and people in South Carolina actually want to wear it on hats and t-shirts. That’s the true test of a flag. If people won’t wear it on a trucker hat, the design failed.
The Great Redesigns of the 2020s
We are living through a massive shift. Utah just changed their flag in 2024. They ditched the messy seal and went with a bold, tri-color design featuring a beehive and a star. It looks modern. It looks like a brand.
Minnesota followed suit. For years, Minnesota had one of the worst flags in the country. It featured a pioneer plowing a field while a Native American rode off into the sunset. It was cluttered, offensive to many, and just plain ugly. In 2024, they wiped the slate clean. Now, they have a dark blue shape representing the state’s silhouette and a simple eight-pointed star. It’s clean. Some people think it’s a bit too corporate-looking, but compared to the old one? It’s a masterpiece.
Mississippi changed theirs in 2020 because, well, it prominently featured the Confederate battle emblem. They replaced it with a magnolia blossom and the words "In God We Trust." Regardless of how you feel about the text on a flag (vexillologists generally hate words on flags), it was a massive upgrade in terms of distinctiveness.
Why Some States Refuse to Change
You’d think every state would want a cool flag, right?
Nope.
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Tradition is a hell of a drug. People get weirdly attached to the flags they grew up with, even if those flags are objectively bad. In Illinois, there’s been a push for years to ditch their cluttered white flag for something better. They’re currently in the middle of a commission to look at new designs. But there’s always pushback from people who feel like changing the flag is "erasing history."
The irony is that most of these flags don't have that much history. Many were adopted in the early 20th century just because states realized they didn't have one and needed something for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago or similar events. They weren't built on deep, ancient symbolism. They were rushed jobs.
The Science of Vexillology
If you want to understand all American state flags, you have to look at the five principles laid out by the NAVA:
- Keep It Simple.
- Use Meaningful Symbolism.
- Use 2 or 3 Basic Colors.
- No Lettering or Seals.
- Be Distinctive.
Alaska nails this. A 13-year-old boy named Benny Benson designed it in 1927. It’s just the Big Dipper and the North Star on a blue field. It’s perfect. It tells a story about the frontier and the night sky without using a single word.
Texas is another one that follows the rules. The Lone Star State. One star. Red, white, and blue. It’s so effective that people often mistake it for the Chilean flag, but hey, at least you can recognize it. It conveys strength and independence. It’s a brand.
The Weird and the Wacky
Let's talk about Ohio. Ohio is the only state with a non-rectangular flag. It’s a "burgee"—a swallowtail design. It stands out because of its shape alone. If you see a flag that looks like a triangle with a bite taken out of it, you know it's Ohio.
Washington is the only state with a green field. It also has George Washington’s face on it. This is technically a "bad" flag because it’s a literal portrait, but the green makes it so unique among the sea of blue flags that it gets a pass from many enthusiasts.
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Then there’s Hawaii. It’s the only US state flag to feature the British Union Jack. Why? Because King Kamehameha I was a big fan of the British, and the flag was designed during a time when Hawaii was a sovereign kingdom navigating the politics of global empires. It’s a fascinating bit of history sitting right there on a flagpole.
How to Judge Your Own State Flag
Look at your state flag. Can you draw it from memory in 30 seconds? If the answer is no, your state has a "seal on a bedsheet."
Does it have the name of the state written on it? If it does, the design failed. A flag is a visual symbol. If you have to write "KANSAS" across the bottom, it means your symbol isn't doing its job. Think about the Nike swoosh or the Apple logo. They don’t need to write the name underneath.
The best flags—New Mexico, Texas, Maryland, Alaska, South Carolina—don't need text. They speak for themselves.
Actionable Steps for the Flag-Curious
If you’ve realized your state flag is a disaster, you don’t have to just live with it. Change is happening everywhere.
- Research your state's history: Look at the original designs. Often, the "original" flag was better than the cluttered version used today.
- Check for active commissions: States like Illinois and Maine have active discussions about redesigns. You can actually submit designs or vote in public polls.
- Support local vexillology groups: There are communities of flag nerds in almost every state pushing for better design.
- Buy the good flags: If you like the Utah or Minnesota redesigns, buy one. Fly it. The more these clean designs are seen in the wild, the more the "old guard" realizes that people actually prefer good design over cluttered "tradition."
We’re moving toward a future where all American state flags might actually be recognizable. It’s a slow process, but as more states ditch the blue-background-gold-seal combo, the American landscape gets a little more colorful and a lot more interesting. Don't be afraid of the new designs; usually, they’re just trying to give the state an identity that people can actually remember.