Slog
News & ArtsSunday, June 24, 2012
Design The Problem with the Pride Flag
Posted by Dominic Holden on Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 7:14 PM
1
This being the 21st century, we could create a rainbow flag with continuous change of colors rather than discrete color categories. However, I will leave this up to the artistic types as science is my idea of a party.
2
People have been offering up variants every Pride since Gilbert Baker designed the damn thing. None has yet to catch on, and none can compete with its origins and meaning, but anybody could try, any old time. No rules. It's not like we have some Board of Flaggots issuing credentials or whatnot.
3
I thought this was all the refraction of light passing through the prism of water particles. Gosh I feel so left out.
4
I'm offended they pass over indigo and go straight from blue to violet. That's not very inclusive, now, is it?
5
No, the rainbow colors are not fine.
The thing is ugly as sin, but too bad. You don't pick your politics based on aesthetic regard for the accompanying symbols.
Sports teams, sure, but not politics.
The thing is ugly as sin, but too bad. You don't pick your politics based on aesthetic regard for the accompanying symbols.
Sports teams, sure, but not politics.
9
When I was a cab driver I could think of much more creative things to bitch about like Reagan or stupid drivers trying to crash into my cab. you don't like the rainbow flag? too late it's an established symbol, now get a life. And don't forget to practice safer sex, go fuck yourself.
11
Last year Studio 360 did a 10-minute segment about redesigning it:
http://www.studio360.org/2011/jun/24/stu…
http://www.studio360.org/2011/jun/24/stu…
12
@10, exactly, I'd like to take whoever thought THAT was cute and just, I don't know, send them away to a camp of some kind.
13
@12
I actually kind of like the pink triangle, it's simple yet unmistakable and unambiguous, scales well, doesn't assume full color vision, and is easily identified from a distance.
Whoever came up with it must have been really, really good at iconography, graphic design, and political messaging.
I actually kind of like the pink triangle, it's simple yet unmistakable and unambiguous, scales well, doesn't assume full color vision, and is easily identified from a distance.
Whoever came up with it must have been really, really good at iconography, graphic design, and political messaging.
15
It doesn't work because it violates the heraldic rule of tincture. You don't place colors on colors or metals on metals.
17
Yes to all that. It's boring, childish, and what the hell - us old straight hippies might want to rally around it before we die. I agree that the triangle has a heavy history, but that story is a good starting point for the struggle theme. Rainbows? How do they represent equality? What's the story, really? I don't know any green or purple people, and neither do you.
18
Didn't the Nazi's come up with the pink triangle in order to i.d. gays to send to the internment camps? Doh!
19
@13 and @17 You "old straight hippies" are more or less the people who designed it (atleast "old" and "hippies"). Does anyone of you know how to google "rainbow flag" and "wiki"? And then move to "Pride Flag". Try it out, click the link, read it through.
TL;DR: the flag has a checkered past, the sign of rainbow colours goes back to German peasant uprisings in the 16th century. The Pride flag designed by Gilbert Baker in SF 1978, he claims to have been inspired by the "Flag of the Human Race". It used to be 8 colours, now its 6 (because its easier). Its one of the worlds most recognizable and known flags.
The point is that its instantly recognizable. Every pride march on the planet includes the flag. Everyone. It may be ugly as sin, but as a symbol it has proven itself to be extremely effective. From a design point its easy to redesign into another version or form and still be extremely recognizable.
If anyone wants to use a pink triangle, or a "Drag Queen Rampant on a Field Verde" (@15) I'm sure no one will be upset. But don't be too sad when most of us prefer to use the rainbow one for a while longer.
TL;DR: the flag has a checkered past, the sign of rainbow colours goes back to German peasant uprisings in the 16th century. The Pride flag designed by Gilbert Baker in SF 1978, he claims to have been inspired by the "Flag of the Human Race". It used to be 8 colours, now its 6 (because its easier). Its one of the worlds most recognizable and known flags.
The point is that its instantly recognizable. Every pride march on the planet includes the flag. Everyone. It may be ugly as sin, but as a symbol it has proven itself to be extremely effective. From a design point its easy to redesign into another version or form and still be extremely recognizable.
If anyone wants to use a pink triangle, or a "Drag Queen Rampant on a Field Verde" (@15) I'm sure no one will be upset. But don't be too sad when most of us prefer to use the rainbow one for a while longer.
20
@19 -
I think your grasp of English might not be strong enough to appreciate the subtle shades of meaning in the word "unambiguous." Rainbows, my Scandinavian friend, are not it.
@18 -
!!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!1!1!!
I think your grasp of English might not be strong enough to appreciate the subtle shades of meaning in the word "unambiguous." Rainbows, my Scandinavian friend, are not it.
@18 -
!!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!1!1!!
21
Yeah, we have all known the pride flag is the garish thing out there. And you know what's worse? Everyone trying to make everything a rainbow for pride weekend.
It's the most tasteless thing us homos do during the year, let us not discuss until next June. Thank you
It's the most tasteless thing us homos do during the year, let us not discuss until next June. Thank you
22
[I guess I should add "spoiler alert" aswell]
@20 Yes, perhaps not. I must admit I assumed your sarcasm concerning the pink triangle was to make a point in its defence (because the nazis may have been shit, but they where good designers (also who the hell does NOT know the nazis designed the pink triangle?)).
But there we go.
@20 Yes, perhaps not. I must admit I assumed your sarcasm concerning the pink triangle was to make a point in its defence (because the nazis may have been shit, but they where good designers (also who the hell does NOT know the nazis designed the pink triangle?)).
But there we go.
23
Most flags are ugly, when you really look at them. This one might be a little bit better than most.
24
@19, there's gotta be some cool Anglo-Norman French term for "drag queen". Perhaps "Reine Jacques" in honor of James I?
25
We have an American flag that represents everyone. Hence, I don't need to come up with a special 'Caucasian, heterosexual' flag to make myself feel special.
26
i agree, it is pretty ugly from an artistic standpoint which us why i never wear or fly one. i much prefer the HRC flag, aside from being more socially relevant today it's also much more aesthetically pleasing.
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