Process: A Ted talk was given by Roman Mars, a pod caster of the show 99% Invisible and enthusiast about flags. This Ted talk highlighted the importance of flags and images of several city flags were shown. When you think of country flags, you should keep in mind, city flags as well. As my attention was drawn to the city flags of the world, I instantly had favorites (Hong Kong's flag is just too amazing). I kept in mind the flag project as the Ted talk continued and paid heed to Ted Kaye's five key principles in making a good flag from his book, Good flag, Bad Flag: How to Design a Great Flag. These principles were the guidelines for me to start work on my flag. This would be my flag of Milwaukee. Having seen the flag of Milwaukee, I could only hope someone wins the competition this time around.
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Milwaukee Flag Design
Medium: Digital Editing Size: 30x46cm Date: November 2015 Exhibition Text: The Milwaukee Flag was created with Abode Photoshop CC. The flag is inspired by the current Milwaukee flag in terms of color and the general idea of industry. The flag conveys unity with the idea of a bridge connected two different places. This is true for Milwaukee as it is very segregated. The three pillars signify important events in Milwaukee's history that have shaped its future as a city with much potential to grow. The potential is shown through industry with the colors gray and gold.
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My Work: The flag I chose out of all the bottom ones is the one on the lower-right hand corner because its the one in which the hues complement each other the most. The gold is really emphasized and gives the flag a color that stands out and catches the eye. I feel as if the flag with purple in it was not as successful as all the others because the story behind should go deeper than the state flower. There needed to be attention paid to specific areas of Milwaukee. The idea with the two columns and central column was too simple for my liking. This left the flag that incorporated the bridge idea. I experimented with placing the horizontal bridge column equally in the middle very last moment and I liked that better than when the column was unequally placed. It gives the flag a sense of balance and the columns do not look so thin. Now with the color, I had the most trouble with the gray and blue. I wanted to keep the blue from the current flag but found it too be too light of a hue so I darkened it up. Now the gray was too light and they contrasted a lot which drew the attention away from the central row. I also adjusted that so both were dark and blended into each other on the level of light and dark. The meaning behind my flag is a bridge that connects all the populations of Milwaukee. At first Milwaukee was in war which was a rivalry between Jeneautown and Kilbourntown (east vs. west side). This rivalry escalated into the west end of the bridge being dropped which led to fights and serious injuries not no fatalities occurred. After all the commotion the two sides decided to merge together to form the city of Milwaukee. This founding event is one of the pillars of the bridge. The second pillar is going to be the eight hour work day strike during the Industrialization period of the United States (1880s) where workers were treated inadequately and a normal work day was usually 10 hours and were paid $1.25 per day, 6 days a week. On May 4, 1886 workers led a strike to close down the Milwaukee Iron Company mill. The mill was closed as the militia protected it. The day after a larger mob marched to the mill and shots were fired this time around. The eight hour work day was achieved a few years. The third column is a more recent event in which MPS teachers, students, and parents came together to protest the takeover of failing MPS schools. This 'taking over' would make the schools almost like a private business. This would halt numerous kids from getting an education. All three columns represent citizens of Milwaukee uniting together, despite our differences and segregated neighborhoods to fight for a just cause. These are the moments where our city really shines and I wanted to capture that. I wanted those events to be support for a bridge that will unite the people of Milwaukee.
Word Count: 1689