I should weigh in on this flag thing

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The last thing readers need is an opinion on the new Minnesota state flag from someone completely unqualified to comment on flag designs. But my lack of expertise didn’t keep me from weighing in on Olympic diving — “Clearly, he over-rotated!” — so my apologies in advance.

To the members of the Minnesota State Emblem Redesign Committee tasked with reviewing thousands of entries, you are a brave lot. As the “deciders” of our new flag, your job was not unlike choosing wallpaper for your kitchen and having the entire state (plus social media) comment on your choice of lemon blossoms over pastel flowers. We feel your pain.

Let’s be honest. Before the flag redesign process began, could many Minnesotans describe key elements of the old state flag?

Pop quiz:

• What is the significance of the three years on our old flag?

• Translate “L’Étoile du Nord.”

• Is the Native American on the horse heading east or west?

Rather than throwing the new flag under the bus, I was more interested in the process. Is flag-designing a profession? Where do you start? What makes a flag good or bad?

Enter the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).

Let’s stop there. Any word that includes “vex” and “illogical” should give one pause. In NAVA’s defense, vexillum is the Latin word for the kind of flag Roman soldiers flew. Not to be out-Latin-ed, “vex” means to shake, to disturb, which the Romans did quite a bit of … and its use is appropriate given how vexed some folks are with the new flag.

According to NAVA, a good flag design should be simple, meaningful, basic in color, letter-less and distinctive. Our new flag checks four of those five boxes, but “meaningful,” I suppose, is where the debate begins.

Simple geometric designs seem to be the approach NAVA most prefers. Given the polemics of our day, I’m guessing this also worked for the Redesign Committee. Hard to argue with geometry.

Rather than stars and stripes, some states chose an animal as the dominant image. Who doesn’t like the bear and buffalo on California’s and Wyoming’s flags? The NFL prefers this approach, although they put their bears and buffalo in Chicago and, well, Buffalo. We could have included a loon, but I suppose the pejorative use of the word was a showstopper.

Utah took a different approach — a middle ground of sorts. It combined traditional geometric shapes with a beehive front and center and the Rockies in the background. It’s a bit cartoonish but brighter and more upbeat than our flag.

Alaska fully meets NAVA guidelines (two colors, no text, very meaningful) while having a great backstory. It was designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson 97 years ago. Benny lived in an orphanage in Seward at the time. With a deep-blue background, its eight gold stars show the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star.

As noted earlier, I don’t have a strong opinion on flag designs — but NAVA members do. Each year they participate in a survey to vote on good flags and bad flags. Think Rotten Tomatoes meets Betsy Ross.

One of NAVA’s top-rated flags of 2022 is the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, flag, which is a mirror image of Minnesota’s flag. It points east, not west, but like ours it features a prominent star in a similar position. NAVA members gave it an “A.” Hopefully, we won’t get flagged for lack of originality.

On the flip side, NAVA rated Wisconsin’s one of the 10 worst flags in our country. Its includes (of course) a badger, a shield, a farmer, an arm and hammer, an anchor, a cornucopia, a sailor and a yeoman. In case you forgot you are in the Badger State, it also features “Wisconsin” in big bold letters at the top and “1848″ on the bottom. We hear you, Wisconsin!

Unfortunately, our own city of Richfield also took it on the chin when NAVA members gave it — along with 42 other cities — an “F” grade.

Ouch. How about a C- or D+, NAVA?

According to its website, NAVA “does not participate in the patriotic promotion of any particular flag.” I’m not sure what “patriotic promotion” means, but I do believe NAVA focuses more on design and less on ideology.

Want proof? Our old flag was voted among the 10 worst flags in North America; we were No. 5 on the bad list. Who was No. 6? South Dakota. Conversely, the flags of Texas (a solid red state) and Maryland (a solid blue state) were voted among the best in the country.

Apparently, the ability to design a good flag or a bad flag crosses the aisle and has full bipartisan support. A rarity these days.

Jim Triggs lives in Edina. Each year his family hosts a Memorial Day flag-raising ceremony for the neighborhood. That is the extent of his flag expertise.