Support NeoGAF

[Hato-kun]

the amount of people here saying they like the flag is atrocious. Then reading that people in this thread are from NZ and actually voted for the fucking flag tops it.

I am so angry.

 

[ZeroX03]

Red Peak sucked, NZ made the right choice, Australia next please.

 

[LiquidSolid]

I think changing your flag is a great way to have a conversation about identity and about what the country means. I think it's inevitable relatively few people got interested because a lot of people aren't interested in thinking about identity and meaning beyond "Me Me Me Where's The Next Marvel Movie???? Damn What Did Bieber Do Now???". If you have no sense of collective investment or belonging then it's going to be hard to feel engaged with this kind of process. Still, 50% is not a bad turnout.

I agree that the designs -- particularly having 3 of the 4 original designs include the fern -- probably weren't representative of the breadth of stuff available. And that the change seems to be largely being imposed top-down.

A fair point on the turnout but yeah, this whole flag debate is basically John Key trying to making his mark on NZ history.

As a New Zealander, I find the winning option better than the current flag, but only marginally.

The process of arriving at and developing the options has been terrible. No chance for iteration on interesting or popular concepts or designs at all. Unsurprising given a lack of designers involved, and a committee who just assumed if you had enough first pass options then surely the "best" flag would emerge.

Personally, I think the winning option could have been better, ditching the blue for black, being just black, white, and red for example. Even then it falls short of ideal.

Such a missed opportunity.

Pretty much. The bold part is the worst part, it was pretty obvious once the initial 4 weak choices were picked that the government needed to take a step back and re-evaluate their process. Instead, they doubled down on it and will probably set back any chance of changing it for another 20 odd years.

Not an international rule but they do have people studying this stuff, kinda like with graphic design.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexillology

https://www.ted.com/talks/roman_mar...signed_thing_you_ve_never_noticed?language=en

A place's flag, and whether or not people like it or associate it with pride makes a big impact on how people perceive their country, state/province or city.

Did you watch that video and just assume his guidelines were hard rules? South Africa's flag has six colours and I'd rate it far higher than any tri-bar flag.

 

[inthrall]

I like the new flag, it was my first pick, though not by much (I wasn't a fan of the version with red). I hope we pass the vote, I think our current flag is garbage

 

[dejay]

the amount of people here saying they like the flag is atrocious. Then reading that people in this thread are from NZ and actually voted for the fucking flag tops it.

I am so angry.

There are many things in the world to get angry about - people's choice in what flag they want to represent them and their country should be pretty low on that list.

 

[Peru]

Looks good.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

So, looks like 4 wins.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35059898

Seeing the BBC call the union flag a "union jack" pisses me off more than it really should.

 

[Brakke]

I really like the new flag but man that thing is definitely going to get printed with the wrong number of blades (is that the right term? my fern-lore is rusty) on the frond all the time. is there a symbolism to the number even or is it just what fit?

 

[Hackworth]

Red Peak sucked, NZ made the right choice, Australia next please.

I'll fight you m8

 

[lastplayed]

Here we go. Cast my vote today. Although I get the feeling I might as well have cast it to the four winds.

I just can't wait till it's over, the vocal mouth breathers have turned this into another shit-on-John-Key parade, despite the fact that there's been motions to change the flag long before Key was even a politician. It'll change eventually, when the vast majority of NZ's population will have no connection to the Union Flag.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

Rule Britannia: 57-43.

 

[The Awesomest]

I heard about this on the radio today. Spent a couple million on the campaign and they just stuck with the old design anyway. Shame.

 

[commissar]

Didnt go through an iterative process so it was a shit first draft vs. old faithful. Complete waste of money.

 

[BunnyBear]

What a joke. The NZ and Aussie flags are awful. Shame the NZ public didn't vote for change, but I guess the options weren't the best. I loved the simply fern design the most.

Can't see this than anything else than a waste of money.

 

[Mario]

What a joke. The NZ and Aussie flags are awful. Shame the NZ public didn't vote for change, but I guess the options weren't the best. I loved the simply fern design the most.

Can't see this than anything else than a waste of money.

Changing the flag now would have locked us into the crappy not much better design for the next hundred years.

Sticking with the current one means we at least have a chance to revisit the issue 20 years down the road.

 

[Zaptruder]

OP needs to be updated with the 5th official option.

RED PEAK FOR LIFE!

ps: please vote for red peak, the superior option

This thing checks all the boxes for good flag design according to 99% invisible.

Simple enough for children to draw.

Unique. Representative. Memorable.

But sure New Zealand, stick with your 'just another union jack type' flag... the one that makes you guys look like a state in Australia.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

I like number 2. What is up with number 3, Dreamcast love?