Most US state flags look like someone forgot they had a project due and slapped a cluttered gold seal on a navy blue sheet five minutes before class. Seriously. If you’ve ever looked at a line of state flags and thought, "Wait, which blue one is that?" you’re not alone. Vexillologists—the folks who study flags for a living—have been screaming into the void about this for decades.
Honestly, a good flag should be simple. You should be able to draw it from memory. It should look cool on a t-shirt or a coffee mug. But for a long time, the US was stuck in a "seal-on-a-bedsheet" era that made everything look identical from twenty feet away.
Thankfully, things are changing. Between 2021 and 2024, we saw a massive wave of redesigns. Mississippi kicked it off by ditching Confederate imagery for a magnolia. Utah followed with a sleek beehive design, and Minnesota finally retired its "too busy for its own good" seal in early 2024. These shifts have completely upended the traditional lists of us state flags ranked.
The Gold Standard: The Flags That Actually Work
When experts like Ted Kaye, author of Good Flag, Bad Flag, talk about the best designs, they always point to the same few. These flags don’t just represent a state; they are the state’s brand.
New Mexico: The Undisputed Champ
For years, New Mexico has sat at the top of almost every ranking. It’s perfect. It uses the Zia sun symbol in red on a field of yellow. Just two colors. No words. No messy dates. It’s so iconic that people in New Mexico actually want to fly it. You see it on tattoos, bumper stickers, and basically everywhere. It respects indigenous history without being cluttered.
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Texas: The Lone Star
Texas gets it right by being bold. It’s recognizable even when the wind isn't blowing. The "Lone Star" isn't just a nickname; it’s a design philosophy. While some complain it's a bit too similar to Chile’s flag, in the US context, it stands alone as a masterpiece of simplicity.
Arizona: Copper and Sunsets
Arizona’s flag is basically a sunset over a copper mine, but done with class. The thirteen rays of red and yellow represent the original colonies, while the copper star in the middle reminds everyone that Arizona is the nation’s top copper producer. It’s colorful without being a headache.
The Newcomers: How Redesigns Changed the Game
If we were doing this ten years ago, the bottom of the list would be a stagnant swamp of blue seals. But the recent "Flag Fever" has brought some serious contenders into the top ten.
Mississippi (2021)
The new "In God We Trust" flag is a massive glow-up. By replacing the controversial Confederate saltire with a magnolia blossom and gold accents, the state went from a design people were ashamed of to one that actually has some soul. Is it perfect? Maybe not—the text "In God We Trust" violates the "no lettering" rule of vexillology—but it’s a billion times better than what it replaced.
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Utah (2024)
Utah’s old flag was the definition of "Seal on a Bedsheet." The new one? It’s a stylized beehive (symbolizing industry) on a background of blue, white, and red peaks. It looks modern. It looks like a logo for an outdoor brand, which, let’s be real, is exactly the vibe Utah wants.
Minnesota (2024)
As of May 2024, Minnesota has a new look. They ditched a seal that was widely criticized for its depiction of a Native American being "displaced" by a white settler. The new design features a dark blue shape resembling the state itself and an eight-pointed "North Star." It’s clean, it’s blue, and it actually means something to the people living there today.
The Hall of Shame: Why Some Flags Still Fail
We have to talk about the "SOB" flags. That stands for Seal on a Bedsheet.
About half of the US state flags are just a blue background with a complicated seal in the middle. Think Kentucky, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and New York. These are the ones that make us state flags ranked so difficult at the bottom—they all look the same!
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- Washington: It’s green, which is a nice change, but it’s just George Washington’s face. It feels like a placeholder.
- Nebraska: It’s a seal. On blue. If you didn't see the name "Nebraska" written on it, would you know what it was? Probably not.
- Maryland: Okay, this one is polarizing. It’s the only flag based on English heraldry (the Calvert and Crossland families). Some people love it because it’s "so ugly it’s cool." Others think it looks like a construction zone. But hey, at least it’s not a blue bedsheet.
What Makes a Flag "Good" Anyway?
If you want to judge these for yourself, the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) has five basic rules.
- Keep it simple. A child should be able to draw it.
- Use meaningful symbolism. Every color and shape should have a story.
- Use 2-3 basic colors. Don't go overboard with the palette.
- No lettering or seals. If you have to write the name of your state on the flag, your symbol failed.
- Be distinctive. Don't copy your neighbor.
By these rules, states like Oregon (which has a different image on the front and back!) or South Dakota (which literally writes "The Mount Rushmore State" on itself) fail pretty hard.
Actionable Insights for Flag Enthusiasts
If you’re looking at these designs and thinking your own state needs a makeover, you aren't alone. States like Illinois and Maine are currently in the middle of their own design debates.
How to support a better flag:
- Join the conversation: Look up your state's current legislative sessions. Many states have "flag commissions" that take public input.
- Learn the history: Sometimes those ugly seals have deep historical meaning, but that doesn't mean they belong on a flag. A flag is for the wind; a seal is for a piece of paper.
- Buy the good ones: If you live in a state with a great flag (like Colorado or Alaska), fly it! The more a good design is used, the more people in other states realize what they're missing.
The trend is clear: the era of the "blue bedsheet" is ending. We’re moving toward a map that is colorful, distinct, and actually tells the story of the people who live there. Whether you love the classic New Mexico look or the new Utah peaks, the standard for what makes a state flag "good" is higher than it has ever been.