1. VEXILLOLOGY The Scientific and Scholarly Study of Flags Latin VEXILLUM = “flag” Greek -LOGIA = “study of”

2. GUAVA Greater Unified Albany Vexillological Association We are a group of individuals assembled to study flags and ultimately to create a lasting symbol to unite our community in the form of a very well designed flag.

3. What we hope to accomplish today  Demonstrate why a city flag is important.  Define what makes a good flag.  Present several flag proposals.  Engage the City Council in a process to officially adopt a flag for the city of Albany.

4. Why do we need a flag? “Often when city leaders say we have more important things to do than worry about a city flag, my response is if you had a great city flag you would have a banner for people to rally under to face those more important things.” – Ted Kaye

5. Why do we need a flag? “A positive feedback loop between great symbolism and civic pride.” – Ted Kaye Imagine if we had a great flag. “One we saw on our flagpoles. A flag we flew from our homes and stuck to our cars. A flag we identified with, as a city. A redesigned flag could serve as that emblem of pride and unity.” -The people’s flag of Milwaukee

6. GOOD FLAG, BAD FLAG HOW TO DESIGN A GREAT FLAG

7. WHAT IS A FLAG? A flag’s purpose is to: represent a place, organization, or person, generally on a rectangular piece of cloth, to be seen at a distance, often moving, from both sides, and reproduced in quantity, and in many sizes.

8. THE 5 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FLAG DESIGN 1. Keep It Simple 2. Use Meaningful Symbolism 3. Use 2–3 Basic Colors 4. No Lettering or Seals 5. Be Distinctive (or Be Related)

9. 1. Keep It Simple The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory…

10. 2. Use Meaningful Symbolism The flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes…

11. 3. Use 2–3 Basic Colors Limit the number of colors on the flag to three, which contrast well and come from the standard color set…

12. 4. No Lettering or Seals Never use writing of any kind or an organization’s seal…

13. 5. Be Distinctive (or Be Related) Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections…

14. PRINCIPLES VALIDATED Survey of US/Canada State/Provincial flags 400+ Respondents Rating on Scale of 0–10 Compare to Scores at 2 Points per Principle Correlation = R 2 of.81

16. A Few Good City Flags

17. A few Bad City Flags

18. A Few Local City Flags

19. A Typical City Flag Proposal

20. Our Flag Proposals

21. Explanation of Symbolism  “A”- The overall Design is an “A” representing Albany.  Blue portion- Symbolizes the confluence of the Willamette and Calapooia Rivers.  Gray portion- Symbolizes Hwy 20 and I-5. These roads span our great nation and intersect in Albany.  Green portions– Represents our Agriculture, Timber, Parks and Trees.

22. Secondary Symbolism  The golden angle- The angle at the top of the “A” is the same as the angles of the stars on the American Flag a subtle symbol of our Patriotism.  Green- The Oregon state flag is blue and yellow green is the combination of these colors.  Blue & Gray- Blue is a color of West Albany High School and Gray is a color of South Albany High School, this flag unites the two.

23. Color Variations

24. Design Variations

25. Moving Forward Some ways flags have been adopted: - A flag proposal contest. - A petition of city members. - An ordinance makes the flag official. -We would be willing to work with any recommendation from the city council to move forward towards our goal of a city flag.

26. Special Thanks to … Portland Flag Association North American Vexillological Association Ted Kaye Roman Mars The distinguished members of GUAVA West Albany High School