Good Flag, Bad Flag by Ted Kaye

by Ted Kaye

Use five basic principles to create an outstanding flag for your organization, city, tribe, company, family, neighborhood, or even country! This 16-page full-color booklet, 5.5" x 8.5", distills the concepts of flag design into five basic principles, and shows examples of flags that follow them and flags that disregard them. The publisher (NAVA) has led web-based surveys of state/provincial and city flag designs, confirming the soundness of the basic principles explained in the booklet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Art, Essays

Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

Reviews

[Yuuki Nakashima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Roman Mars' Ted Talk was really funny and interesting, so I bought this booklet. Hmm... No better. No worse.
It shows 5 principles of good flag design and examples as Roman explained in his presentation. I wish this booklet had more examples of good and bad flags, though, it was still as interesting as the Ted Talk.
Roman's presentation and this booklet made me get interested in flag design and I'd like to read other flag-related books now.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

has had a disastrous influence on the world of flag design

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book by Ted Kaye is an excellent introduction not only to flag design, but design in general. I think the the rules that he lays out in this book can be applied pretty uniformly across the board. I was recently tasked with designing a logo for my church, but I know nothing about graphic design or what looks good, besides what I don’t like. Ted Kaye does a good job of summing up the basics of design more broadly and uses flags as an example. Because who doesn’t love a good flag? The four star rating might seem high, especially for me who rarely gives them out, but it really is that informative. I’d highly recommend if you’re interested in design.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read on the design of flags. On what is a good design and what is a bad design for a flag. It is short but very informative. I never really realised that there is a whole science field out there (Vexillology, btw) dedicated to the study of the history, the symbolism, the design and the usage of flags.

Admittedly it was the TEDtalk of Roman Mars that was the starting point of me reading this, and just like the talk, this was a very interesting read.

[Caroline Carrico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, quick primer on flag design

[C.J. Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman Mars' Ted Talk piqued my interest about flag design quite some time ago, and a rewatch spurred the reading of this informational collection. Also doing some character development research.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

mmmm flags

time to memorise this for my EPQ

just kidding I already have

[m0se · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is an interesting booklet but has been co-opted by certain vexillology fans and flag designers who have taken it as scripture and law that needs to be followed to the letter. the start of the booklet itself says "Design principles are guidelines, not rules", and that sometimes it makes sense to depart from these guidelines. despite the movement that resulted from this booklet, I enjoyed reading this and think it has good information.

[taina maina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The publishing and proliferation of "Good Flag, Bad Flag" and its consequences have been a disaster for self-proclaimed graphic designers netwide.
Ted Kaye himself says his principles are not rules and that they should not be used "to denigrate poorly designed flags". Unfortunately many of the proponents to those principles seem to have missed his remark. Perhaps they got distracted by all the pretty pictures and did not have time for the "fine print". One should not be considered responsible for their fans' actions, and simply for being able to think critically and put those thoughts into words, Mr. Kaye has my respect. As for the 2 stars, feel free to blame them on the slew of mindless drones parroting these principles like gospel ad nauseam into the virtual abyss.

[Diego Garcia-Taborga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple design book that offers great principles in succinct and accessible language. Well done, Ted Kaye. The simplicity and brevity of the ideas offered, coupled with the visual representations of the principles advocated, have allowed this book to become the manifesto of flag lovers everywhere.

I can certainly hear a possible critique: "This book offers principles that are too basic and conformist, flags should be designed with the freedom to look good and represent their respective cultures." However, I feel that in the final section of the book, Kaye does a good job of addressing this not only by stating that there are exceptions to the rules he puts forward but also by giving examples of some of the best exceptions in vexillology.

Bravo, Ted Kaye.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only 8 pages, including the cover page, but that's exactly why it's so good.

I always kind of liked flags, but never learned too much about the principles behind flag design.

After reading this I feel much more empowered to appreciate good flags and the different principles involved.

Seriously, this will take about 30 minutes to read, and will come in handy the next time the World Cup comes around and you go to a sports bar that has the different countries' flags and you can impress all your friends with your vexillological knowledge.

http://www.ausflag.com.au/assets/imag...

[Andrius · Rating 5 out of 5]

As somebody already mentioned - great principles that apply to design in general. Funny how Brazilian flag is not mentioned here (or I just missed it) because it could probably be considered as a bad example, yet that one is a perfect exception to the rule

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction, fantastic examples, but really too short.

[James Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book went over the basic principles that flags should follow and gave examples.

[Brian Mikołajczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The North American Vexillological Association's official guide about what makes a good flag and a bad flag.
Excellent!

[Brian Cham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of the first things that led me into an interest in vexillology. It is a very brief introduction and doesn't go into much detail but it is a very good summary anyway.

[Brighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a handy little guide to flag design. I mean, there's not a lot to say on it. The principles are good to remember, and I like that it brought up the flag of Pocatello, ID.

[Killer of Dreams · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thorough examination of flag design. It is essentially The Elements of Style of vexillology. Roman Mars!

Rating Update 3/13/2019 - 5 to 4 stars. The concise details and layout of flag designs would have earned this short book, five stars, but I did not find it "amazing".

Rating Update 4/9/19- 4 stars to 3 stars. I would not say that I really liked it. I liked how it broke down how to create flag designs but the book's page colors are ugly and the book seems like a guide critiquing flag designs, rather than how to create flag designs, which is what I had originally wanted. Either way, I liked it (3 stars).

August 23, 2019
Update
With the adoption of my new rating system, a two star rating is befitting. The original review and rating updates conform to the new rating system. I have lowered this book to a two star rating because, although I found the material helpful (signs of a three star-rated book) I found there to be too many examples. A briefer version of this already short book could have been made. I also question whether I enjoyed the information, to the extent of a three star book, especially when I had thought the guide taught how to create flag designs, as noted in the rating update from April 9, 2019.

[Matthew Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent introduction, because I can't help but think there's a lot more to Vexillology than this. More examples would have been useful, as well as more than a hint of a process for redesigning bad flags: they should be designed by individuals and selected by committees; not designed by committees.