Change the Pennsylvania state flag! While the state seal is beautiful, it does not belong on a flag, and renders the beautiful state as indistinct and unremarkable. For these reasons, I have designed and am now petitioning the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to adopt "The Penn Flag."

The Penn Flag I have designed is a modified William Penn coat of arms, replacing the outside circles with two stars representing Pennsylvania as the second state in the Union, and the center circle with a keystone, representing Pennsylvania as "The Keystone State." Additionally, each star represents the Eastern and Western halves of Pennsylvania, united and held together as a single state with the keystone. I believe my proposed design is very simple yet incredibly encapsulating of the Commonwealth.

The three stripes represent the state motto of "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence." In addition, it also matches the 3 fesse bands in the state's coat of arms (which is on the current flag), representing Pennsylvania's wealth of human thought and action, rich natural resources, and state commerce being carried worldwide. This helps ground this design in the history and context of what came before it.

While Tara Stark's "Keystone Flag" is a popular and well-designed proposal that is directly derived from Pennsylvania's state seal and coat of arms, featured in the current flag, she avoids any reference to the state's namesake, William Penn. I believe my Penn Flag proposal is an attractive alternative that carries the same symbolism while also incorporating the legacy of William Penn, tracing it all the way back to the founding of the then-colony of Pennsylvania.

Penn Flag:

 

 

 

Penn Flag (Alternate Versions):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Keystone Flag" by Tara Stark: