Oakland County Seeking Designs for New Flag

1 hour ago

2 min read

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners are looking for design ideas for the first flag redesign since 1970-- and you've been conscripted! The current flag debuted in 1970 and according to the Flag Leadership and Advisory Group (F.L.A.G.) it's high time it got with the time(s).

You might be asking yourself: "Oakland County has a flag?" Yes! and that's exactly the problem: no one knows (or frankly cares) about it. So the flag must be redesigned and made into something which represents Oakland County, both its history and its future.

The primary modern resource for good flag design is "Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag, compiled by Ted Kaye as the sum wisdom of expert vexillologists. The most important lesson from GFBF are its five tenets:

Keep It Simple: The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory.
Use Meaningful Symbolism: The flag's images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes.
Use 2 or 3 Basic Colors: Limit the number of colors on the flag to three which contrast well and come from the standard color set.
No Lettering or Seals: Never use writing of any kind or an organization's seal.
Be Distinctive or Be Related: Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections.

While I can count flags among my passions, graphic design and art is most certainly not, so I put the challenge to you, dear reader. The conditions follow from a press release by F.L.A.G. Get out there and make us a new flag!

"All validly submitted designs will be reviewed by advisory group members. They may select a single submission or choose elements from several submissions. The final stage of the development process will be supported with the help of pro bono design experts. No monetary awards will be made and artists relinquish intellectual property rights to any design. There are no residency or age restrictions — anyone is welcome to submit a design.

"The submission form is available at A County Flag for the Future, along with a comprehensive library of inspirational resources, including maps, historical narratives and information about local communities, curated by Oakland County Historian Carol Bacak-Egbo. The form is open until 5 p.m. on January 4, 2027.

You can read "Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag here for more expertise on flag design.

Paul Taylor - Web Content Director