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Re: Conlang flag design // was Minhyan & the goddess of conlangs

From:Chris Bates <chris.maths_student@...>
Date:Tuesday, August 31, 2004, 12:14
Adrian Morgan wrote:

>>Not being very good at drawing I'm not sure I could come up with a good >>flag... yours is okay I guess, but I find it a little disturbing lol. >>This is just my gut reaction, but it looks to me like the faces are >>devouring.... and the red reminds me of blood. Black isn't so good as a >>cheerful colour either.... it looks snazzy, it just feels evil to me >>lol. ;) I hope I don't upset you, because I'm not trying to have a go at >>you... this is just my gut impression. >> >> > >I'm no great artist either, especially using a mouse, but I can do a >proof-of-concept sketch. :-) (For a real flag, I'd make the tongues a >little bit wider for a start.) > >It's true that red usually symbolises blood or war, and you're free to >suggest an alternative colour scheme provided you can come up with a >rationale and it doesn't fare *too* badly with heraldic principles >(there are rules to flag design, but as Terry Pratchett says, "the >purpose of rules is to make you think before you break them"). > >Can you think of a good colour, other than red, that could symbolise >creativity? I suggest purple (because colour psychologists say that >purple promotes creativity - see for example this website: ><http://www.dulux.com.au/html/inspiration/colour_psychology.aspx>) >so how would you feel about replacing the red with purple (but leaving >the black as it is)? > > >
Purple sounds good to me. :) The colour of purple that velvet often is....
>I'm opposed to changing the black, because the only alternative that >makes sense is white, and that just makes the flag look like it's >unfinished. Besides, white doesn't show up enough against the sky. > > >
I prefer black to white too. :)
>I find it strange that the red and black should look evil to you, >though, because as a conlanger you know very well that symbols of good >and evil vary widely between cultures. For example, to Europeans a >skull and crossbones represents death, poison and pirates, whereas to >other cultures it represents the memory of a loved one. > > >
Knowing your gut reaction is culturally conditioned doesn't mean that you don't feel it. I know that "evil" and "good" colours vary between cultures, but everyone is a product of their culture.
>> I think the celtic symbol would be nice, I always loved those.... and >>on top of everything else I believe they were supposed to symbolize how >>our world and the otherworld were interconnected and intertwined, so >>they fit with your two worlds theme. Most of the celtic knots I've seen >>are circular... if your tongues form a knot in the middle, perhaps >>something in the centre might be appropriate? I know someone suggested a >>star, but it doesn't have to be that... just something representative. >>:) Although I do think a star would look snazzy. >> >> > >My sister owns a book on celtic knots - perhaps I should ask her to >lend it to me? > > >
If you can persuade her... I definately like the Celtic knot idea. :) I had a book on the celts once but.... *sigh* I gave it away to someone I loved once upon a time.
>> Another thing I wonder is.... the sharp boundary in the middle. It >>looks fine, but maybe a gradient would look good too? I'm just >>suggesting things here... but I'm not sure that there is a sharp >>distinction between the two worlds... perhaps one colour gradually >>fading into the other would be good. >> >> > >No, definitely not. The rules of heraldry do not allow gradients. I >don't mind being flexible with the rules, but not that flexible. >(Besides, I think there is indeed a clear boundary between fact and >fiction.) > > >
*shrugs* Does it have to conform to the rules of heraldry? But if you don't want a gradient then that's fine with me... I have no extremely strong feelings either way, although I do mildly prefer the gradient idea. And I'm not so sure there is a clear distinction... everything is relative in the end. :)
>> The faces... I'm not sure about those either... someone mentioned >>heraldry and although I don't think a coat of arms is a good idea, I do >>think the fact that coat of arms appear on flags proves that a flag >>doesn't have to be simple. It can have complex, intricate patterns on it >>as long as the overall effect is still visible at a distance. >> >> > >But it shouldn't be more complicated than necessary. A child should be >able to sketch a recognisable picture of a flag. This doesn't have to >capture every detail (e.g. a big rectangular asterisk will suffice for >the Union Jack in the corner of the Australian flag) but it should be >obvious what it is. > >I think the rule is: if you want it complicated, make sure you have a >good reason. > > >
The faces stay as they are then for now. :)
>> I guess that's it for now... Feel free not to take things on board you >>don't like, I'm only trying to give constructive critism. :) >> >> > >I'm not in charge of this; it's a collaborative effort. I'm not even >volunteering to draw the final version. > >Adrian. > >P.S. did you deliberately send privately to me, or did you intend to >send to the list? > > > >