Introduction

Welcome to flagdesign.nz – a site dedicated to documenting the redesign of New Zealand’s flag. Curated by Dan Newman & Co. this site will collate examples, research and articles about the redesign in the lead-up to the referendums.

TL;DR – Everything to do with the redesign of the New Zealand flag. Hopefully.

Scene Setting

Whether or not a change of flag occurs, this site will document the process and share insights and opinions on the submitted designs, as well as the judging panel and their decisions. The role New Zealand’s design community and institutions like DINZ (Designers Institute of New Zealand) should play will also be discussed and no doubt debated at length due to currently being absent from representation on the panel and throughout the process so far.

The Design Process

The potential of a new flag provides a wonderful opportunity for a behind-the-scenes view into the design process. I hope that being transparent about how design can solve problems and create visual solutions to complex challenges will not only educate those who are unfamiliar with the process, but also help change perceptions about design; explain why crowdsourcing and spec work are controversial; and show that designers can have a significant impact in business and cultural institutions.

Design can be hard to appreciate and is often subjective. There’s also nothing like a flag to evoke differing opinions. Thankfully there are many ways to measure the success of design, which I’ll write about closer to the time of judging.

To give an example of what the design process looks like, I’ll share my attempt at a solution as openly as possible. I’m lucky to be in a position where designing something for no payment is financially manageable. However, for many people this isn’t the case. Most of the time, undertaking design work for free is not possible or recommended. That won’t stop plenty of people entering what is ultimately a competition for the reward of glory and exposure.

If the design community works together there’s a chance that the flag design process can take a different path from New Zealand’s recent currency and passport redesigns. If you’re part of the community, I hope you’ll speak up.

Cultural Research

I’ll be looking into the symbols that capture and reflect the culture and nation of New Zealand as part of the design process. These symbols no doubt will be seen in many of the submissions and some background on their importance and relevance will be an interesting way to partially judge the validity of a design. If you’re an expert in New Zealand culture and symbolism, I’d love to hear from you!

Previous Designs & Submissions

Over the last few years there have been several high profile attempts to promote new designs for the New Zealand flag. Some of these are worthy of consideration and will be reviewed and critiqued here. Many of these designers have made their research and approach public – this serves as a great resource for anyone who’s interested in the flag design process or is considering submitting a concept.

There will no doubt be an official site documenting submissions, but I’ll also highlight some of the flags submitted here.

The Panel & Politics

So far the National Government has announced the judging panel and the process that will be followed to review and vote on a new flag through two referendums. Thoughts on the panel and judging process have rightly struck a nerve with the design community in that there is currently no representation by a practising designer, or even better one who’s an expert in vexillography (the art of designing flags). To the Government’s credit, there is one flag historian amongst a range of New Zealand celebrities, sports stars and business leaders. Many have already commented it is comparable to creating a new national anthem without having a musician involved or commissioning a national stadium without an architect’s input.

I’ll do my best to avoid discussing individual party politics, instead looking at how the current climate has impacted on this process. For example, why do we need a change in flag now? Is it distracting us from other important decisions we should be voting on?

Whilst the flag design is considered, the governance of New Zealand continues day-to-day and like any other day it’s important to be aware of what our politicians are up to, what laws they are passing, and how they are representing our individual electorates. I encourage you to keep your eyes open and not just look at the shiny colours and fluttering of a new flag, but also the direction our country is heading in.

Finally, if there are any errors or information missing from any posts, please get in touch with your feedback and support. If you would like to contribute articles, ideas or anything related to the site, I’d love your help.