#2 Red White & Blue
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Flag Day’s 100th Anniversary
June 14, 2016 celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Flag Day (United States), which was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which occurred June 14th, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
Red White & Blue is the second AmperArt piece I created, way back in 2011. I don’t know if it was influenced by Flag Day or the 4th of July. I don’t even recall the concept behind the artwork (was the ampersand supposed to resemble a character from an old parchment document?). Regardless, I recently discovered it was never officially released. So here is AmperArt #2, Red White & Blue — finally unveiled on the 100th anniversary of Flag Day.
Clever concept, clashing colors
I have several opinions about the design of the American flag — from a conceptual standpoint, to a color standpoint, to a branding standpoint. In order to get this “lost art” published today, Flag Day, I’ll save those comments for later, & will add them to this article right here (& let you know when that happens, if you subscribe to AmperArt.com).
But one thing I must state now, because it is fascinating to me as a designer, is the dynamic nature of the flag’s design, evolving as the nation grows; & how cleverly the stars have been (nearly impossibly) arranged to accommodate the ever-increasing number of states. I applaud the cleverness of each iteration. (I wonder if Betsy planned on that.)
Here is a complete chart of the flag’s iterations. Quite interesting are the 1837 “Great Star Flag,” the star configurations for the years 1847, 1877, & the 1890 43-star flag which must have caused the designer to pull out some hair. The next year, 44 stars, was most certainly a welcome simple challenge.
Planning for the future, you can also see the 51-star flag if a new state is added (hmm…who would that be? Could there be a parcel of land somewhere in the shape of an ampersand?)
PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, a baptist minister, was originally published in The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892. In its original form it read:
I pledge allegiance to my Flag
and the Republic for which it stands,
one nation, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
Note there is no reference to America nor to God. Bellamy anticipated that the pledge would be used by any country, not just the United States.
In 1923 – 24 “my flag” was changed to “the flag of the United States” & in 1924 “of America” was added (so immigrant children would know which flag they were saluting).
In 1942, the pledge’s 50th anniversary, Congress adopted it as part of a national flag code. Some state legislatures required school students to recite the pledge. In 1943 that requirement was dropped, as some religious groups were not allowed to idolize a such a symbol.
On June 14, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill approving the words “under God.”
Bellamy went on to become an advertising executive.
Read more about the Pledge of Allegiance, including the debate over the words “under God,” at Smithsonian.com, which provided the above historical information.
If you wish to comment (and I hope you do) please comment here.
Flag Day is everyday (somewhere)
June 14 is Flag Day in America. I’m sure all or most other countries have designated days to celebrate their flags. Flags in general are meaningful, colorful, symbolic & fun. So here is a compilation of the world’s flags to enjoy as a piece of art in itself, also to give hope that we can all live in harmony someday:
If you wish to comment (and I hope you do) please comment here.
Check out the new “chaz sez” blog at DesimoneDesign.com, my commercial graphic design website. It’s mostly about design, typography, printing, publishing & marketing, but on occasion I’ll divert to a sideways topic that just can’t escape my ranting & raving.
Production notes for #2 Red White & Blue:
Original size: 10x15 inches
Program: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Font: unknown
Ampersand: Custom design by Chaz DeSimone
Credits:
Flag against sky: stock
38-star flag: UShistory.org
Flags of the world: GraphicStock
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To download a full-size high-resolution 11x17-inch poster, click on the image.
For professional graphic design, please visit Desimone Design.
