Kansas’s current state flag, with its complex seal and inaccurate depiction of Kansan landscape, fails the modern test of simplicity, recognizability, and symbolism. Great flags tell powerful stories at a glance—and Kansas deserves one that truly captures its identity.

This redesign centers on a geometric sunflower, rendered in Kansas gold with 34 interlocking petals outlined in crimson red. The design is timeless, balanced, and deeply meaningful.

 

SYMBOLISM:

Bottom Petal:
The name “Kansas” comes from the indigenous Kansa people, translating to “People of the South Wind.” This is visually highlighted either through recoloring the bottom petal and/or making it the only fully visible petal on the sunflower.

Sunflower:
While most Americans know that sunflowers are a cultural staple of Kansas, it has immense symbolism potential. Kansas’s state motto is “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” meaning “to the stars through difficulties.” The sunflower is a weed flower that has traditionally made Kansan agriculture difficult, serving as the “per aspera” part of the motto. Additionally, the sunflower’s name comes from the fact that the flower’s head resembles the sun, itself a star, serving as the “ad astra” part of the state motto. So with just the sunflower alone, you have a beautiful representation of the state’s motto.

Red:
Red stands for “Bleeding Kansas,” a bloody period of conflict between 1854 and 1859 where pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed over whether Kansas would be a slave state or a free state.

Blue and Gold:
The exact shades of these colors are derived from the state government’s branding guidelines. You can also say that gold represents Kansas’s agriculture, and blue for traditional virtues / ideals like union, justice, etc.

34 Petals:
The 34 petals, in lieu of stars, represent Kansas as the 34th state. The number of petals in sunflowers typically follow the Fibonacci sequence in the numbering of petals, which includes the number 34, so it’s actually fairly common to find real life sunflowers with exactly 34 petals.

Notch:
The notch is a lighthearted reference to Kansas’s distinctive shape: a rectangle with a little notch in its Northeast corner. It’s optional and can easily be removed if it’s not wanted on the flag.

 

 

 

 

And here are some more variants with yellow borders:

 

 

 

And some green variants:

 

 

 

 

 

Because the design is so simple, modifying the center of the sunflower is quite easy to do:

 

 

 

Additionally, there are other great Kansas flag redesigns from other designers:

 

 

 

If you believe Kansas deserves a better state flag, please sign and share this petition :)   Thank you!