I've never tackled a flag before, but my local city has one of those generic, "Coat of Arms on a Flag" designs that are so lacking in personality.
My goals:
- Take the original flag and several elements to make it an evolution not a complete
- Incorporate the Canadian Pale
- Showcase the meeting of Nature and Humanity that is very significant to the city's identity.
I fixed the not-quite-Canadian Pale ratio of the original flag.
I added a Heron to represent the central ecology of the region, also tying in with the blue-purple from the original flag (we have a colony of Blue Herons that nest along the waterfront).
I also wanted to acknowledge the Engineering history of the city, as well as the railroad. So I took the castle/bastion elements from the original and incorporated these into the canadian pale panels along the sides.
The crenellations also evoke a railroad, which I also felt was important to represent as this is important to the development of the city.
Central, between the industrious history is an acknowledgement of the natural history of the area. I think the Blue Heron not only evokes the nature, but also the pre-industrial aboriginal citizens of the area.
If I were capable of depicting the heron in traditional Coast Salish art, I think that would really elevate the design to what I believe it should be.
Anyhow, that's my redesign, I am no flag design expert, nor a graphic artist. Just a game designer who wanted to try something out. All comments and feedback welcome!