New Minnesota Flag

[7/8]

Minnesota's new flag was revealed yesterday, and it is set to become official on May 11, 2024.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/us/minnesota-state-flag-new-design.html

Personally I'm really liking the new flag, one of the best U.S. state flags IMO. Hopefully it doesn't get shot down by the legislature. What are your thoughts?

New flag after May 11, 2024:


Current flag (to be replaced):

[MikeTheActuary]

I think the new flag is definitely better than the old one (both in terms of not being the default "state seal on a blue background", and of getting rid of the reference to genocide), but I would have preferred the variant that had a tricolor (blue/white/green) field.

[MATraveler128]

I love this new flag. The state seal in the middle of the current flag is hideous and you can't tell what's going on

[7/8]

I think the new flag is definitely better than the old one (both in terms of not being the default "state seal on a blue background", and of getting rid of the reference to genocide), but I would have preferred the variant that had a tricolor (blue/white/green) field.

Here is the tricolour one for reference:


I agree the tricolour is a bit better, but I'm happy with both versions.

I also found this comment about the final version from the designer on Reddit (url):

I sent a visual graph and a brief email detailing my preferred revisions to the committee. This particular flag was my 4th preferred revision, but when they got rid of the green it rose to my 2nd. I'm ecstatic they went with one that was even on my list, because during the last meeting they brought up some terrifying concepts of asymmetrical Minnesotas and getting rid of the white stripe so the background became a literal interpretation of a landscape. They shifted the star to the top so it looked like Pac-Man. So the fact that they went with my 4th overall favorite and 2nd blue-only favorite is a huuuuuge win in my mind. And there's even something about the simplicity of it that I think works really well. Chair Fitch's story about how it resembles the Mississippi River which both indigenous people and European settlers all moved to this land for, was a really beautiful concept that really elevated this version in my mind.

There's several other reasons why I love this version, but I'll stop there. I promise it's a flag that I'm certain will grow on Minnesotans after a while!

[kphoger]

I love this new flag. The state seal in the middle of the current flag is hideous and you can't tell what's going on

That's still the state seal.  Only the flag changed.

My opinion is this:  I'd have like the tri-color variant, but this one is just fine.  I like the other, 'twinkly' star better, though.

[jlam]

That's still the state seal.  Only the flag changed.

They changed the seal as well.

[WillWeaverRVA]

That's still the state seal.  Only the flag changed.

They changed the seal as well.

The new seal looks great, and the new flag is definitely an improvement over "state seal on a colored background".

[JayhawkCO]

That's still the state seal.  Only the flag changed.

They changed the seal as well.

The new seal looks great, and the new flag is definitely an improvement over "state seal on a colored background".

Agreed. I personally liked the tri-color flag, but both are still pretty great.

[kphoger]

That's still the state seal.  Only the flag changed.

They changed the seal as well.

Whoa, crap!  How did I miss that?

[webny99]

I think the new flag is definitely better than the old one (both in terms of not being the default "state seal on a blue background", and of getting rid of the reference to genocide), but I would have preferred the variant that had a tricolor (blue/white/green) field.

Here is the tricolour one for reference:


I agree the tricolour is a bit better, but I'm happy with both versions.

I'd go so far as to say the tri-color one is a lot better. The one chosen is extremely plain.

Not only that, but the three colors look a bit like water, land and sky, which is sort of Minnesota-esque since you need all three in roughly equal proportions to describe the state (10000 lakes, forested countryside, and big skies) in a way that feels more applicable to Minnesota than any other state.

[kphoger]

Not only that, but the three colors look a bit like water, land and sky, which is sort of Minnesota-esque since you need all three in roughly equal proportions to describe the state (10000 lakes, forested countryside, and big skies) in a way that feels more applicable to Minnesota than any other state.

See, I think it looks upside-down, because to me the colors look like (bottom) snow-covered ground, (center) green trees, (top) blue sky.

[SD Mapman]

I think the new flag is definitely better than the old one (both in terms of not being the default "state seal on a blue background", and of getting rid of the reference to genocide), but I would have preferred the variant that had a tricolor (blue/white/green) field.

Here is the tricolour one for reference:


I agree the tricolour is a bit better, but I'm happy with both versions.

I'd go so far as to say the tri-color one is a lot better. The one chosen is extremely plain.

Not only that, but the three colors look a bit like water, land and sky, which is sort of Minnesota-esque since you need all three in roughly equal proportions to describe the state (10000 lakes, forested countryside, and big skies) in a way that feels more applicable to Minnesota than any other state.

If you had me pick, the tri-color one is significantly better than the selection. It's at least interesting, the flag chosen is just blue-on-blue. Plus, that light blue is going to bleach out in the sun (we have that blue too).

[webny99]

Not only that, but the three colors look a bit like water, land and sky, which is sort of Minnesota-esque since you need all three in roughly equal proportions to describe the state (10000 lakes, forested countryside, and big skies) in a way that feels more applicable to Minnesota than any other state.

See, I think it looks upside-down, because to me the colors look like (bottom) snow-covered ground, (center) green trees, (top) blue sky.

Also true, but either way it does seem to describe the state in a way that plain blue doesn't.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Addressing the comment in the OP, it's unlikely it will be rejected by the legislature since they authorized the commission to design a new flag and new seal, and a lot of the sentiment was "anything is better than the old ones".

[JayhawkCO]

And, just for those, like me, that didn't see it right away, the left hand portion is a stylized form of the shape of Minnesota.

[jlam]

And, just for those, like me, that didn't see it right away, the left hand portion is a stylized form of the shape of Minnesota.

And the north-star-looking thing in the middle of said reverse chevron resembles St. Cloud, the capital of Minnesota.

[kphoger]

And the north-star-looking thing in the middle of said reverse chevron resembles St. Cloud, the capital of Minnesota.

At the risk of sticking my foot in my mouth again...

1.  How does an eight-pointed star resemble Saint Cloud?

2.  When was Saint Cloud the capital of Minnesota?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

This was the flag I hoped would win. It made it to the final 10 before it stalled out. You can see it in the wild on some homes and businesses here.

[JayhawkCO]

2.  When was Saint Cloud the capital of Minnesota?

11/4/22.

MN – moves to St Cloud, and the Northstar Line gets extended

[kphoger]

2.  When was Saint Cloud the capital of Minnesota?

11/4/22.

MN – moves to St Cloud, and the Northstar Line gets extended

Oh wow, I forgot about that thread!   

[flan]

This was the flag I hoped would win. It made it to the final 10 before it stalled out. You can see it in the wild on some homes and businesses here.

This is the one I liked too. The colors on most of the other flags seemed too muted and cold. This flag maintains simplicity while looking like an actual flag and not a bland corporate logo.

As for the flag that won, the star looks a lot better and the colors are brighter and much more inviting than the original tricolor version (although a color other than blue and white would be nice). Still, the diagonal lines aren't a good look in my opinion. I get that it's supposed to be the outline of the state, but I just don't see why that needs to be a part of the flag.

[TXtoNJ]

Terrible Reddit flag. Cute gimmicks in place of any meaningful symbolism. "Oh look, the indented bisection looks like the state, kind of".

Mississippi's new flag broke most of the "rules" and it's by far the best one that's come out this decade. This one looks just as much "flag by numbers" as the old seal-on-blue-field

[JayhawkCO]

Nate Silver on Twitter said, "Don't hate it but the vibe is "small island nation that you inevitably forget about when trying to list all countries in the world"." I kinda agree.

[kphoger]

This was the flag I hoped would win.

This is the one I liked too.

I don't like wavy lines on any flag.  Not even Kiribati, although that one should get some bonus points for trying.

[kphoger]

Nate Silver on Twitter said, "Don't hate it but the vibe is "small island nation that you inevitably forget about when trying to list all countries in the world"." I kinda agree.

And see, that's the vibe I get from the wavy-line one.