Help with Flags?

[Mindfire]

I had some time to kill, so I made up some flags for my fictional cultures using pixlr.com (the poor lazy man's photoshop) and images I found on google. I've gotten to a point where I have multiple versions of a couple flags and I can't decide which I like best.

The first flag is for Beorgia. They're a very religious and superstitious culture, to the point where the clergy is on par with the Czar in terms of practical power. They're a nautical culture with the moon goddess being their primary deity. I like the way this design turned out. The bear symbolizes the Czar and temporal authority, while the crescent moon that the bear looks toward symbolizes the spiritual authority of the priests. The wavy lines symbolize the four rivers that divide the nation into the different "marches", each of which is administrated by a Lord General or Admiral.

Version 1:

Version 2:

I can't decide which shade of blue is best. The darker blue goes really well with the silver, but I think the lighter, "aqua" blue is more suggestive of a long maritime tradition.



Continued in next post...

 

[Mindfire]

The next flag is for the Kazai (or Inazuma, I might rename them). They're a group of shadow warriors living in the mountains who are engaged in guerrilla war against foreign invaders who have seized their lands. Their patron deity is Hakadosh the Avenger. The Kazai practice magic by using sacred metal to forge armor and swords that can generate bolts of energy. The metal falls to earth from the sky and it is believed that it comes from the "Forge of Hakadosh." Thus, the flag bears an anvil and hammer, symbolizing Hakadosh, as well as the Kazai's calling card: the rune for the word "lightning". (This "rune" is actually the kanji for lightning, "inazuma", thus why I'm contemplating the name change.)

Version 1:
Removed from consideration.

Version 2:

Version 3:

The grey symbolizes thunderclouds and/or steel, while the purple symbolizes lightning and energy. The black that appears in the alternate versions symbolizes the night in which the Kazai regularly attack.

I'm just not sure what combination of colors works best. As of now, version 1 is my top choice, or maybe if I took version 3 and made the black in to a really dark grey.

Any suggestions?

 

[Ankari]

I can't decide which shade of blue is best. The darker blue goes really well with the silver, but I think the lighter, "aqua" blue is more suggestive of a long maritime tradition.

I'd go with the first one. The shade is closer to what water would look like at night.

Secnod post:

Your first version is hard on the eyes. The second one is great. It is exactly the color scheme I would think a shadow warrior would appreciate. The third one is better than the first, but I would still go with the second.

 

[Mindfire]

I'd go with the first one. The shade is closer to what water would look like at night.

Secnod post:

Your first version is hard on the eyes. The second one is great. It is exactly the color scheme I would think a shadow warrior would appreciate. The third one is better than the first, but I would still go with the second.

Thanks, Ankari. And I agree with you about Version 1 being hard on the eyes. I just wish I could get the purple in there somewhere. I might try tweaking version 3 a bit, but I think that you have a point about version 2 being the best.

 

[mbartelsm]

You are lucky! I'm a graphic designer.

With the Beorgia flag you should definitely go with the first one, the second shade of blue makes the gray shades blend with the background giving me a certain discomfort when looking at them.

With the Kazai flag, I'd go with the second out of sheer symbolism: Shadow = Black, Magic = Purple. But I would move the anvil and hammer a bit lower to center them both in the circle instead of just the anvil.

 

[Mindfire]

You are lucky I'm a graphic designer.

With the Beorgia flag you should definitely go with the first one, the second shade of blue makes the gray shades blend with the background giving me a certain discomfort when looking at them.

Yeah, I've decided on the first one.

With the Kazai flag, I'd go with the second out of sheer symbolism: Shadow = Black, Magic = Purple. But I would move the anvil and hammer a bit lower to center them both in the circle instead of just the anvil.
Of course you would say this after I've closed the working version of the file, making it 5X harder to edit. -_- But thanks for your opinion. I'll run it through pixlr again. The only problem I have with the black background is that I have another flag for a different culture with a black background and I'd like to keep the different flags as distinct and unique as possible.

Aggressive stance:

Passive stance:

See? Although, I was thinking about having the Kazai be given their flag as a gift from the Mako (the people to whom the wolf flag belongs) and their allies, which could explain the similarity.

 

[Mindfire]

Did you mean something like this, mbartelsm?

 

[mbartelsm]

Yeah, that way the design is more balanced and easier to read, that's of course if you like it that way

 

[Mindfire]

Yeah, that way the design is more balanced and easier to read, that's of course if you like it that way

I think I see what you're getting at. The only problem is that it loses some of the symbolism. The hammer and anvil are slightly elevated to show that they are divine in origin.

 

[mbartelsm]

I think I see what you're getting at. The only problem is that it loses some of the symbolism. The hammer and anvil are slightly elevated to show that they are divine in origin.

Oh, then by all means keep the one you had, meaning is 10^10 times more important.

 

[JadedSidhe]

Thanks, Ankari. And I agree with you about Version 1 being hard on the eyes. I just wish I could get the purple in there somewhere. I might try tweaking version 3 a bit, but I think that you have a point about version 2 being the best.

If Kanji means lightning, why not keep the black and grey of version 2, but make the Kanji purple?

 

[Mindfire]

If Kanji means lightning, why not keep the black and grey of version 2, but make the Kanji purple?

I/m trying to keep the color scheme as simple as possible so as not to confuse the eye. All the flags so far have only 2 colors: a primary and a secondary. But I'll try your suggestion and see how it looks.

EDIT: I made a small sample, and it turned out better than expected. What do you guys think?

The originals for comparison:

 

[JadedSidhe]

I like both versions of the gray flag, but I like the new grey version better.

As much as I love vivid colors (the louder the better), the black and purple makes it hard to see the Kanji at first.

Edit:

If you're still not thrilled with either of the greys, what about making the background of the purple logo a dark grey? It might tone the purple down a little bit. If you leave the Kanji black, it might also work.

 

[Mindfire]

Reviving this thread because I came up with a new version. I'm not fully pleased with it yet, but I think it has potential.

 

[Mindfire]

I think I finally have a version I'm satisfied with. I switched out the purple for electric blue and used some cool greys. Might need to tweak the aspect ratio a bit more though.

 

[Gurkhal]

The symbol looks cool and fits the feel of it, if understood what you're aiming for correctly, but if I would question something would be the use of grey as a background color. In my humble opinion you could perhaps test to use white or yellow in the background to give a better contrast between the main symbols (hammer and anvil) and the background, in particular from a distance. And blue and black gets a bit hard to see as well from a distance.

 

[Mindfire]

The symbol looks cool and fits the feel of it, if understood what you're aiming for correctly, but if I would question something would be the use of grey as a background color. In my humble opinion you could perhaps test to use white or yellow in the background to give a better contrast between the main symbols (hammer and anvil) and the background, in particular from a distance. And blue and black gets a bit hard to see as well from a distance.

I see what you're getting at, but yellow would clash. I actually did try a black-and-white version, but it looked kinda plain, especially compared to the other flag designs I made.

EDIT: After considering your comments about the muted colors, I decided to revisit the purple & black design with a new twist:

Then I decided to experiment with the horizontal bar on the grey & blue version.

The results are interesting. I see possibilities.

 

[Mindfire]

Some more variations experimenting with more color.

 

[Gurkhal]

I've looked over the designs and I think that the ones with blue and black are the ones that looks best. For me purple and black can also get a little muddy and thus I would probably pick one of those designs.

Also I'm not sure why you think that yellow would clash. Black and yellow are fairly common in heraldric design and I've never seen any problem with them. But if you don't like it you should of course not go with it.

 

[Mindfire]

I've looked over the designs and I think that the ones with blue and black are the ones that looks best. For me purple and black can also get a little muddy and thus I would probably pick one of those designs.

Also I'm not sure why you think that yellow would clash. Black and yellow are fairly common in heraldric design and I've never seen any problem with them. But if you don't like it you should of course not go with it.

Yellow would be a bit too bright, I think. And it contradicts the spirit I'm going for. This is banner of a dispossessed people- guerilla fighters and shadow warriors. Yellow is not the right fit. I agree that the blue version looks best. Any particular variation you favor? I'm leaning toward either blue #1 or blue #2.