The current flag of Charleston, South Carolina - my home city -  is very flawed. It consists of the city’s seal, in white, on an indigo-colored field. This is not good vexillography, or flag design. From a distance, this flag flying in the breeze is illegible and difficult to distinguish from the flags of many other cities, and even states, in the country. 

This style of flag is referred to as “Seal on a Bedsheet”, and is the result of flags that have very little design intent behind them. It is perceived by vexillologists - those who study flags - as being uninspired, dull, and even negligent. In fact, radio producer Roman Mars criticized these kinds of flags in a popular TED Talk in 2015. This highly publicized the issue of poorly-defined flags - particularly city flags - in the United States and beyond.

Charleston is one of the most unique cities in the United States, with over three centuries of history since the arrival of European people. It is instantly recognizable due to its wide cultural influence, distinct architecture, and more. And yet, its flag is a simple seal on a bed sheet that most people can not even read up close, because its wording is in Latin. That is to say, it is badly designed. I want the city flag to be a symbol that the people of Charleston can recognize and love.

A good way to measure how good a flag’s design is by how often people use it. Chicago, for example, has an excellent flag. Not only does it have a unique and compelling design, but more importantly, it is widely used by the city’s people.

 

 

The flag’s iconography is also integrated into the city government’s website and branding, as well. The flag’s design includes meaningful symbolism. The red stars represent major events in the city’s history; even the individual points of the stars carry meaning. And the blue and white bars are symbolic of bodies of water and major portions of the city, respectively. 

I believe that Charleston deserves a flag with similarly good design - a design that is easily recognizable and loaded with symbolism. Thus, I came up with a new design that I am calling the Laurens Banner.

 

 

It is the end of a series of three designs that I have come up with in the past four years. The main focus was reconciling Charleston’s long, complex, and often painful history in a way that is visually appealing, distinct, and easily recognizable. There is plenty of symbolism that can be used to represent Charleston, since the city has a very unique identity. My central goal was combining existing, recognizable iconography, as well as innovating some of my own.

First, the name. John Laurens was a soldier in the Revolutionary War from Charleston. Laurens was a vocal opponent to slavery, and took action to bring people out of bondage. He successfully recruited a brigade of 3,000 enslaved Black men, planning to empower them all to win their freedom after the war in exchange for their service. While his plan was defeated by South Carolina politicians, and Laurens tragically died before it could have even been realized, he deserves recognition for his earnest efforts to emancipate enslaved people.

The crescent is easily recognizable to South Carolinians as a symbol of our state; it is on the state flag, after all. This symbol originated on the Moultrie Flag, which was flown by Anti-British colonists at Fort Sullivan in the Revolutionary War. William Moultrie, who flew the flag, was from Charleston, and the fort was located just outside Charleston Harbor. Thus, it is not only a symbol of the state of South Carolina, but it can be readily identified with Charleston in particular.

The cross shape has a few meanings. First, it is symbolic of the many church steeples in the city that have earned it the nickname “The Holy City”. Additionally, its four bars can carry several meanings, particularly the four words of the city motto: Ædes Mores Juraque Curat - meaning "She Guards Her Temples, Customs, and Laws". The three colors all carry multiple meanings. Specifically, the colors themselves represent:

• Magenta: the distinct architecture in Downtown Charleston, known for having bright colors and colonial styles
• Yellow: the cuisine of Charleston, including African rice, yellow grits, corn, peaches, and various spices
• Green: the local Gullah (or Geechee) people and their culture

I believe that all of these design elements make my redesign a compelling one. I hope that, with support, I can convince the government of Charleston to adopt this new flag.

If you need any further convincing, take a look at some beautiful images of Charleston, and tell me you don't see a connection to my design: