Duluth flag?
I’ve lived in Duluth for 21 years and have only recently discovered that we’ve got a flag — one that actually looks kind of cool (for a flag).
My questions are:
1) Why doesn’t this flag get used more often?
2) Where can I get one?
I’ve lived in Duluth for 21 years and have only recently discovered that we’ve got a flag — one that actually looks kind of cool (for a flag).
My questions are:
1) Why doesn’t this flag get used more often?
2) Where can I get one?
Flags of the World has a slightly better photo.
The problem with the Duluth flag, as well as the Minnesota flag, is that it fails the first rule of vexillography and that is that a child should be able to reproduce it with some crayons and maybe a straight edge. As city flags go, I’m a fan of the Chicago flag.
My guesses as to why it isn’t used more often are that it doesn’t mean anything to anyone who doesn’t know that it is the Duluth flag, it is expensive to have it produced, and most of the companies who fly flags publicly either a) don’t know there is a Duluth flag; or b) don’t care.
I’m sure numerous screen printing businesses would be able to produce the flag for you, but I imagine it would be somewhat expensive as it would be a custom job for a single flag.
People would buy the Duluth flag. It’s really cool. But I’m sure it would lose money. Someone should step up and subsidize it for the love of Duluth.
I would totally get one if they were around in a not too expensive form.
I think I saw a Duluth flag in a more visible location a couple years ago, but I haven’t seen it since. Perhaps it was in the sister cities display that used to be in the skywalk near the old KDLH studio, somewhere around Fifth Avenue West.
Chicago’s flag took second place in the North American Vexillological Association’s American City Flags Survey. Duluth’s flag wasn’t in the survey, but its flag is much better than many of the flags that were. I’d probably put it around number thirty-five, which is about half-way between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
I didn’t even know cities have flags. Interesting. What does Chicago’s look like?
Megan, click the link to the survey in my comment above. It has pictures of all 150 city flags in the survey.
If anyone wants to see Duluth’s flag in person, go to Lake Superior Plaza at Superior Street and Lake Avenue. I assume that’s where the photo in the post was taken.
Very cool. I think Duluth flag tee shirts would sell well.
Sean,
Why would a company, government entity or individual “subsidize” production of Duluth’s flag? I mean, unless we were going to battle with Superior, I don’t see the value of providing affordable flags for the proletariat.
A recent TED talk and curiosity led me to this long dead post about Duluth’s flag.
TED: Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed
I’d love to see the design improved and made more popular. IMHO, doing nothing but removing the seal in the center (a complex seal is a big vexillographical no-no). Maybe replace one of the fleur-de-lis with something else – Native symbol, “DULUTH” one way or another, etc?
flagspot.net/flags/us-mndul
So cool! I would love if this flag could be improved a little. Maybe stress the Nordic cross and add some other symbolism relevant to Duluth today?
Eight-years-later update via Duluth News Tribune: “Mayor dreams of replacing seldom-seen city flag“