There's No Crying in Flag Design
Why Hacker News recommends it
Linked whenever flag redesigns come up, and credited as hugely influential on how people think about flag design.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2023 to 2026.
What it is
CGP Grey discusses flag design principles and grades flags, following the Minnesota state flag redesign. It argues for simple, distinctive flags.
What people said
Strong rec sandworm101 · 2026-06 · Hacker News · on “Why all new flags look the same”
An article about flag design but no mention of CGP Grey? This one video has had more influance on flag design than any written editorial. [this video]
Cites LinuxBender · 2023-04 · Hacker News · on “Utah’s new flag – and here’s why more states are mulling redesigns”
On a related topic, here [1] is a video of CGP Grey grading US flags. My flag Wyoming gets an F in the S tier. But I am happy he wants to retire here. [Spoiler] Utah is one of 4 states that gets the highest grade. [1] - [this video] [video][19 mins]
Cites ubj · 2023-12 · Hacker News · on “Next Minnesota State Flag”
Obligatory link to CGP Grey's grading of the quality of all U.S. state flags: [this video] Also, a more recent video about Minnesota's new flag: [LINK]
Cites jonchurch_ · 2025-04 · Hacker News · on “BART's Anime Mascots”
It is a useful concept, and letting the whispers of the vexillophiles[0] into your head will lead you to see that most flags are well, pretty bad. CGP Grey has a lot of opinions[1] about this. [0] [LINK] [1] [this video]