NationStates Flag Bracket II (Congratulations to Albali!)

by **Vaspelia** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:13 am

Hmmm, no doubt both flags have quite meritful construction. I like Demirestad's design but the wrong contrast between the usage of both yellow and white is a shame. About the host's flag, TCM's feels a somewhat unorthodox in flag design, but the symbolic explanation makes up for it. Plus i believe TCM's doesn't really puts their flags in cloth, prefering instead putting it on holographs or something. My vote goes to The Cosmic Mainframe's flag.

by **Hakinda Herseyi Duymak istiyorum** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:11 pm

flags that i liked most in the competition

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:13 pm

Hakinda Herseyi Duymak istiyorum wrote:flags that i liked most in the competition
(Image)

(Image)

Competition's far from over! This is the halfway point.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:05 am

Sorry I'm late again!
The Cosmic Mainframe defeats Demirestad 22-6.
Thanks for the votes.

Top 64 Match 1
Three-way match: Jianghu (by The Perpetual Peace) vs Rusoyuz (by New Solaurora) vs Ensholm (by New Spiedska)
Vote for your favorite flag and, if you want, explain your preference in the thread!

Time for the top 64! Submissions are now locked in, no substantial changes allowed. Good luck to the remaining competitors.

My opinion: After looking at these again, I find Rusoyuz the most appealing. Jianghu's flag is too simple, and while great Ensholm's flag does not have as good of color choice as that of Rusoyuz. I like the vertical four-color design of Rusoyuz, and the black bear works well with the rest of the flag.

by **Paradeavenlisian States** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:11 am

The Cosmic Mainframe wrote:Sorry I'm late again!
The Cosmic Mainframe defeats Demirestad 22-6.
Thanks for the votes.

Top 64 Match 1
Three-way match: Jianghu (by The Perpetual Peace) vs Rusoyuz (by New Solaurora) vs Ensholm (by New Spiedska)
Vote for your favorite flag and, if you want, explain your preference in the thread!

Time for the top 64! Submissions are now locked in, no substantial changes allowed. Good luck to the remaining competitors.

(Image)
Jianghu - Renewed Flag

(Image)
Rusoyuz
A fictional nation inspired by Imperial Russia.

(Image)
Ensholm

My opinion: After looking at these again, I find Rusoyuz the most appealing. Jianghu's flag is too simple, and while great Ensholm's flag does not have as good of color choice as that of Rusoyuz. I like the vertical four-color design of Rusoyuz, and the black bear works well with the rest of the flag.

Btw, you have a slight format problem in the Previous Matches section of your OP where the first pair of the spoilers brackets is missing a bracket.

As for the vote in hand:

Which nation's flag, between Rusoyuz's, Jianghu's and Ensholm's, will I vote for?

Simplicity:For simplicity, I think I'm going with Jianghu's flag as their flag not only has the least number of features implemented on its design, but it also uses the least number of colours as well as the most simplified symbol out of the three home which is a simplified crescent with a circle and that's pretty much it besides from the background. As for the other two, it's quite hard to decide which of the two is more simplistic. While Rusoyuz's flag does feature more colours and has an, arguably, more detailed symbol than the three crowns of Ensholm's flag, if we are to excude those symbols, then Ensholm's flag does have a slightly more complicated design since it exhibits more features. Therefore, I think Rusoyuz's has the slight edge in simplicity over Ensholm's. Henceforth, in order from most to least simplistic, in my opinion, it would be:
1. Jianghu
2. Rusoyuz
3. Ensholm

Originality:As for originality, this one is a bit hard to determine. Both Rusoyuz's and Ensholm's clearly reflect a theme that can be associated with real world nations which, in this case, is Russia and Sweden. While Rusoyuz's clearly has the more unique symbolism as the crowns can be found in some historic Swedish and other Scandinavian heraldry, Ensholm's clearly has the more unique layout due to the unique arrangement of the diagonal lines and the three crowns. Jianghu's, while it does have less originality in either of the two than both of its competitors (except that maybe it has slightly more unique symbolism than Ensholm's), does use more unique colours due to it featuring a shade of blue rarely used in other flags. As a result, all three of these flags seem nearly equal in terms of originality with one using four coloured design with a unique symbol by very similar colours to its real life counterpart, one also using similar colours and symbolism to its real life counterpart but with a very unique layout and another using a fairly unique colour scheme but nothing too strikingly unique. However I may need to give a slight edge to Ensholm's purely due to an extremely strikingly unique layout and composition although Rusoyuz's, in particular, is quite close due to its rare four striped design and rarely used bear symbol. Considering this, here is where I'd rank them from most to least original:
1. Ensholm (1# in layout 2# in colours (tied with Ruso's) and 3# in symbolism)
2. Rusoyuz (1# in symbolism 2# in colours (tied with Ensholm's) 2# in layout)
3. Jianghu's (1# in colours 2# in symbolism and 3# in layout (just about))

Colour Scheme:For the colour scheme, I personally think Ensholm's has the better colour scheme because it just feels the most balanced and grounded out of the three, although Rusoyuz's flag colours are close in the balanced aspect, and it just feels the most appealing in terms of the overall mood and aesthetic that it gives off. It's not too contrasting nor blending, the colours work well with each other and the design and, honestly, I can't think of anyway in which to improve neither the colour scheme nor the implementation of it. Rusoyez's flag colours are quite appealing as well and, like its Ensholmian concept, does execute its concept perfectly in terms of the traditional Russian aesthetic that it gives off, judging by the nation's concept. However, I would prefer it if the colours on the four-striped aspect the design were reversed so it was (from left to right) white, blue, red and then yellow to make it the white easier to notice if it is on the hoist's side. However, unlike those two, I honestly don't think Jianghu's colours are that appealing and, if anything, the shade of blue makes the flag look a bit dull and boring and, along with the design, it does create a bit of emptiness in the flag. Therefore, I would rank the flags from best to worst colour scheme like this:
1. Ensholm
2. Rusoyuz
3. Jianghu

Design:In terms of the design, I think Ensholm's flag has the superior design of the three since it feels like it is the most balanced and grounded of the three and has the better composition. Not to mention, it's more recognisable and memorable than either of the two. And while it may be tempting to place the crowns in the thicker diagonal line, white and yellow don't usually go well together which wouldn't make the flag much better. Rusoyuz's flag is nearly as equal in regards to recognition and memorabilia and is just as equal when it comes to executing the desired concept of the nation. However, what really makes me pick Ensholm's over Rusoyuz's is how unbalanced it feels, specifically the posistioning of the bear leaning towards the left more than to the right, which creates a sense of unbalance and slight feeling of emptiness on the right side and I would prefer it if the bear was situated between the red and blue stripes to emphasize the pride, patriotism and strength of Rusoyuz's people. However, I don't think the sense of unevenness nor emptiness is quite as strong as that of Jianghu's flag which has all of its symbolism concentrated on the left half of the design and nothing but a background on the right side. Not to mention, the symbolism that is used just isn't striking enough to be that memorable in my honest opinion and neither is the rest of the design really. I would personally move the symbolism to the centre along with the centre and enlargen it. Judging by this, here is where I'd rank each design:
1. Ensholm's
2. Rusoyuz's
3. Jianghu's

Realism:In regards to realism, this is quite tough to decide on. Ensholm's, while it is clearly have the most grounded and balanced design of the three, the fact that the crowns are not in the centre and that there aren't any of the three yellow diagonal lines taking up that position like the other side of the flag might make the flag look a little off but the colours do at least look very grounded and could easily fit as the colour scheme of a real world flag. Jianghu's flag, however, due to its rather abnormal proportions and strange sense of unevenness and emptiness, wouldn't really work that well as a real world flag. Rusoyuz's flag looks almost completely grounded in regards to its design and colours and could potentially easily fit as a real world flag (excluding the existence of the real Russian flag). However, what stops it from being so is the off-putting positioning of the bear, at the closest stripe to the hoist instead of at the very centre. Potentially, it could be the most realistic looking out of any of the three flags if the bear was centred but since it isn't:
1. Ensholm's
2. Rusoyuz's
3. Jianghu's

Verdict:Overall, winning in 4/5 of the categories above, at least within my point of view, my vote goes to Ensholm's flag since their layout is the most intriguing of the three and I prefer their composition, appealing colours over the others. I also find it to be the most memorable and recognisable. Rusoyuz's flag does have the potential to be next to equal to Ensholm's flag, in my opinion, with its unique four-striped design, awesome traditional Russian aesthetic and its grounded design of the bear symbol, but, for the most part, it's mainly the off-putting positioning of the bear that ruins it. I found Jianghu's flag to be the most off-putting. While it does exhibit a fair bit of simplicity and simplicity can be what makes up the main constitution of a flag's beauty, this clearly isn't one of those flags through its abnormally unnecessary proportions, relatively lackluster, dull colours and a sense of unevenness and lack of balance for both sides of the flag. Basically put it, Jianghu's flag just doesn't use its simplicity to its fullest potential. In order of what I consider to be the best and worst of these three flags:
1. Ensholm's
2. Rusoyuz's
3. Jianghu's

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:16 am

Paradeavenlisian States wrote:Btw, you have a slight format problem in the Previous Matches section of your OP where the first pair of the spoilers brackets is missing a bracket.

fixed

by **Diarcesia** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:35 am

It's Jianghu for me. I sometimes vote for simple flags, sometimes I vote for complicated ones. While Ensholm is pretty, putting it side-by-side with Jianghu makes the former look more cluttered.

by **-Astoria** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 10:34 am

I'm going to go with Ensholm.

by **Drongonia** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:50 pm

Damn it's been a while since I've been in this thread. For this matchup I'll be going with Ensholm.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:18 am

Three-way match: Ensholm (by New Spiedska) wins, Jianghu (by The Perpetual Peace) is second, and Rusoyuz (by New Solaurora) is third; vote total is 13-4-3.
Congratulations to New Spiedska! That was a pretty good start to our top 64, now there's one more tiebreaker to go.

Top 64 Match 2
Three-way match: Ialvarith (by Khoronzon) vs Fedele vs Pencil Sharpeners 2
Vote for your favorite flag and, if you want, explain your preference in the thread!

Time for the top 64! Submissions are now locked in, no substantial changes allowed. Good luck to the remaining competitors.

My opinion: It's difficult for me to decide between Ialvarith and Pencil Sharpeners 2 here - both relatively well designed black and white flags. For now, unless I change my mind, I'll vote for Ialvarith. I like the darker, almost evil look, and it has more technical merit than PS2's flag.

by **-Astoria** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:36 am

PANDAS SQUEE... err, yes.

by **Onocarcass** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:42 am

I be voting for pandas

by **Paradeavenlisian States** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:09 am

Btw, the bracket bit in the thread title still says:

(Top 64 Match 1)

Instead of:

(Top 64 Match 2)

As for the vote in hand:

Which nation's flag, between Ialvarith, Fedele and Pencil Sharpeners 2, will I vote for?

Simplicity:For simplicity, I think I'm going to go for PS2 because although Fedele, arguably, has the most simplistic layout of the three, comprising of two black triangles at the top left and right corners, a middle green triangle bisecting the two smaller triangles and a white fleur de lis in the centre, PS2 clearly has the most simplistic use of symbolism. As for the case of Ialvarith's flag, their use of symbolism is quite complicated especially the sun where the exposed areas of the background are diced up by the white lines and it could potentially be a bit difficult for a child to draw. Henceforth, in order from most to least simplistic, in my opinion, it would be:
1. Pencil Sharpeners 2
2. Fedele
3. Ialvarith

Originality:As for originality, I am, without a doubt, giving this one to PS2 simply because of its sheer unconventionality which is especially marked by the featuring and design of the panda's face. Between Fedele's and Ialvarith's flags, this is a little difficult as while Fedele's flag has the more unique colour scheme and usage of it, Ialvarith's flag clearly has the more unique layout and composition. However, I think the latter's, Ialvarith, has the more original design due to the strikingly distinctive way in which the sun is designed. Therefore, from most to least original, it would be:
1. Pencil Sharpener 2
2. Ialvarith
3.Fedele

Colour Scheme:For the colour scheme, this one is quite determine. For Fedele's flag, the colour scheme of black, green and white in this flag really don't go well on the design, likely down to the way they have been implemented. Personally, I would have preferred it if the green and black were swapped while keeping the fleur de lis or have had the white replace the green, the green replacing the black and the black replacing the white. Rather, what is making it so hard to determine which flag has the better colour scheme is between PS2 and Ialvarith as they pretty much have the same general colour scheme throughout the While Ialvarith's colours clearly have a much deeper meaning, PS2's colours do give off an amusing meaning. Really, it would come down to which colours give off a better aesthetic, purely from a personal perspective. If I'd prefer a darker, more evil, authoritarian imperial aesthetic, then I'd choose Ialvarith's. If I preferred a more charming, amusing aesthetic, then I'd go for PS2's flag. But even then, I'd still pretty conflicted. However, there is one aspect that makes me pick Ialvarith's flag over PS2's flag; PS2's cursed gradient. The gradient really doesn't add anything to any design (theirs included) and, if anything, it can take away from the overall weight that the colours deliver and, really, the flag would be far better off without it. Therefore, this leads to the ranking being:
1. Ialvarith
2. Pencil Sharpeners 2
3. Fedele

Design:In terms of the design, this is, again, another hard category to determine, still, largely between Ialvarith's and PS2's flags. Fedele's design is, honestly, a bit lackluster and there really isn't anything striking about it that makes it stand out in the way that its two counterparts do. Speaking of which, Ialvarith and PS2 both have really great, striking and easily memorable designs with one being very in-depth about its meaning reflecting a fallen empire and hope to rise up to ''former'' glory through its detailed and well-designed symbols while the other has a very amusing meaning as reflected by its rather charming appeal through its panda face. However, I do think these flags both have a few flaws. For Ialvarith's, I'm a little mixed by how much the lines divide the exposed background on the sun. I know that it does reflect on how tattered the former empire's ruins are but they do unnecessarily overcomplicate things on the sun. Personally, I would cover the entire diced background within the sun with white, the same as the intricate lines within the sun while keeping the red centre. I would also do the same with the triangle shape formed at the bottom (maybe do the same with the lines that come down diagonally from the top left and top right although I don't mind it with or without the change). For PS2's, their flaws seem to be less intentional and more accidental as the panda's face is a bit off with the line above seemingly not touching the panda's head like the other lines are. Personally, I'd have the length of the line increased or move the panda's face upwards and adjust the rest of the lines accordingly. I'd include an outline along the edges of the panda's head as well. Overall, though, while both flags exhibit perfect symmetry, I'm giving this to Ialvarith's flag since it feels much more meaningful, has slightly better composition and slightly less flaws. Considering this, this is where I'd rank each flag from best to worst design:
1. Ialvarith
2. Pencil Sharpeners 2
3. Fedele

Realism:In regards to realism, despite its charm, for me, it's pretty obvious that PS2 has the least realistic flag out of any of the three by far for many reasons. For one, the charming, amusing panda-like aesthetic, specifically the panda face, that the flag is solely concentrated on is a bit unrealistic which can be the case if a flag's design and colours are too focused on a certain animal. This can heavily detract from the realism of the flag especially if it were for the flag of one of the vast majority of real world nations that don't even have pandas and even for the one nation that does have them, it wouldn't really fit their aesthetic to well. Secondly, while this may be a minor issue, the panda's head, or the length of the line above, is a bit off. And thirdly, gradients not only ruin the colours of most flags, but they can also detract from the realism when compared to real world flags. For Ialvarith's and Fedele's flags, this is tough to decide. While the colours of Ialvarith's are clearly more grounded in reality, Fedele's flag does have the simplicity and design to easily fit as a real world flag. However, I feel like it would be more fitting for a French provincial flag than even an alternate French nation (or at least one where French culture is strongly integrated). Having said that, I think Fedele's flag is more realistic simply due to the simplistic design it exhibits when compared to its counterparts where one has an aesthetic that would be considered as off-putting on the real world stage and the other has symbols that are a bit too detailed to fit well as a real world flag in spite of its promising colours. Bearing that in mind, here is where I'd rank them from most to least realistic:
1. Fedele
2. Ialvarith
3. Pencil Sharpeners 2

Verdict:Overall, both winning in 2 categories each, it is extremely tough to decide between PS2 and Ialvarith, with their fitting meanings for the concept that they intend to execute, good composition coupled with excellent symmetry along with some striking and memorable designs. However, since the following flag fares a bit better in the realism category, I'm giving a slight edge to Ialvarith due to their much more in-depth meaning, less flawed design, and its rather grounded use of colours. PS2's flag, while it does have both the simplicity and originality, coupled with its charm, amusing meaning and appealing use of symbolism to challenge Ialvarith's flag, does, unfortunately, have to pay the price through its lack of realism, needless gradient and it just has more flaws in general to be honest. Fedele's flag just isn't appealing or striking enough to make me consider earning my vote to them and the colours aren't really used to their fullest potential. With all of this in mind, here is how my finalised ranking of these flags would be laid out:
1. Ialvarith
2. Pencil Sharpeners 2
3. Fedele

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 8:11 am

Paradeavenlisian States wrote:Btw, the bracket bit in the thread title still says:
(Top 64 Match 1)

Instead of:
(Top 64 Match 2)

Fixed. I always seem to miss something.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:12 am

Ialvarith (by Khoronzon) wins, Pencil Sharpeners 2 is second, and Fedele is third; vote total is 13-6-5.
I expected the vote to be closer. In any case I'm glad we could break these ties, and congratulations to Ialvarith! Back to the normal structure...

Top 64 Match 3
Duolin - Midnight (by Diarcesia) vs The Perpetual Peace - Alternate
Vote for your favorite flag and, if you want, explain your preference in the thread!

Time for the top 64! Submissions are now locked in, no substantial changes allowed. Good luck to the remaining competitors.

My opinion: This is a hard choice, but I will go for The Perpetual Peace; I prefer their color combination, and find their design also has a little more merit, almost reminding me of vaporwave.

by **Onocarcass** » Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:19 am

I like Duolin's colors more. But I prefer the structure of Perpetual Peace. My vote is going to TPP.

by **Paradeavenlisian States** » Tue Jul 07, 2020 8:54 am

Which nation's flag, between Duolin (Midnight) and The Perpetual Peace (Alternate), will I vote for?

Simplicity:For simplicity, I think I'm going to go for TPP's Alternate Flag simply due to the fact that their central symbol, alongside the background, is pretty much the only component of the flag. Duolin's Midnight Flag is comprised of a blue background, three yellow lines per side cut off by two smaller blue lines per side and a triangle at the bottom centre. It also has a constellation composed of three stars at the top. While all of those features are simplistic in their own right, TPP's Alternate Flag's features are only focused in the centre.

Originality:As for originality, this one is a bit tough to decide on. While Duolin's Midnight Flag may have a slightly more unique layout due to the vague resemblance of TPP's Alternate Flag layout with the Japanese flag, TPP's Alternate Flag does arguably have the more unique colours since I find the shades of blue and their implementation to be more distinguishing. However, I will have to give a slight edge to Duolin's Midnight Flag not only because of the aesthetic that it gives out but also due to the composition and design being more original.

Colour Scheme:For the colour scheme, this one is yet another hard category to decide on as both flags are very fitting in terms of the concepts and aesthetic that they try to execute. While I do think Duolin's Midnight may have slightly more grounded colours, I do find TPP's Alternate Flag colours to be more appealing and intriguing. Henceforth, I think TPP's flag has the superior colours because I feel like their colours are slightly more memorable and appealing to my eyes, although not by that much.

Design:In terms of the design, this is, again, another hard category to determine. While all of them do have excellent symmetry and are both memorable and easy to recognise from a distance, one of them desires to be a minimalist design where its beauty and elegance lies in its simplicity, which is done quite well on the design, while the other aims to have consistent detail across the flag but not excessively such. But overall, I may have to give a slight edge to Duolin's Midnight Flag since I have a slight preference when it comes to the composition and it feels slightly more meaningful

Realism:In regards to realism, I will have to give this one TPP's flag as it quite easily has the simplicity, colours and well-grounded design to fit well as a real world flag. For Duolin's Midnight Flag, while I do find the constellation to be realistic, I feel like the blue and yellow lines do give off a bit of a PMT vibe to be honest which doesn't usually fare well in terms of fitting in with other real world flags.

Verdict:Overall, winning in 3 out of 5 categories above, at least from my point of view, unless I change my mind, I will have to give this one to TPP's Alternate Flag since I find their flag to be slightly more intriguing and visually appealing. Not to mention, its minimalist design works perfectly in executing the peaceful, tranquil aesthetic of your nation and it does well in maintaining elegance and beauty within its simplicity and the design just feels more conventional. Duolin's Midnight Flag, while it does have some in-depth meaning with some good colour choices and solid design layout, just feels a tad bit unconventional in comparison to its counterpart and even real world flags due to its PMT vibe that it emanates.

by **Drongonia** » Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:11 pm

I'll go for the Perpetual Peace this time.

by **The Cosmic Mainframe** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 6:19 am

Duolin - Midnight (by Diarcesia) ties with The Perpetual Peace - Alternate 12-12.
Yep, just after doing tiebreakers we get another tie! We'll see these flags again at the beginning of the top 32 bracket.

Top 64 Match 4
Astoria - Main flag vs The Albalian Kingdom (by Fallen Albali)
Vote for your favorite flag and, if you want, explain your preference in the thread!

Time for the top 64! Submissions are now locked in, no substantial changes allowed. Good luck to the remaining competitors.

My opinion: This is a very close and difficult matchup - these flags should have met in the top 8, not the top 64. Nonetheless, RNG matched them together, so I will be voting for the Albalian Kingdom. While both flags have excellent color choice and design, I find that the Albalian flag is slightly better in both aspects.

by **-Astoria** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:46 am

Oh dear...

by **Paradeavenlisian States** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 11:27 am

The Cosmic Mainframe wrote:RNG matched them together

Ah... so that explains the selections then. And looking at the matchups, I don't think it will be the last of tense marchups in the top 64, far from it.

Which nation's flag, between Astoria's and The Albalian Kingdom will I vote for?

Simplicity:For simplicity, this one is a little hard to determine. Astoria's flag has quite a simplistic layout, compromised of an hexagon shaped formed out of 7 stars (including the central star) and four stripes. However, what makes me slightly hesistant is the fact that the four stripes intersect with each other in a manner that may make it look a little confusing and maybe even somewhat hard for a child to draw. TAK's flag is also simplistic, albeit in a rather surprising manner as it consists of four stripes (two thin blue bands at the top and bottom and two thicker yellow bands at the top and bottom) and a field in between which further consists of a wreath, a raptor, four stars and a crown. I find the raptor, in particular, to be an interesting case in regards to simplicity due to its suprisingly simplified design but I'll go more into depth with it in the next category. Judging by this, despite Astoria's flag being potentially more confusing, I think I may have to give a slight edge to Astoria's flag because while TAK's flag may have the more simplistic layout (slightly), Astoria's flag does have the more simplistic use of symbolism in my opinion.

Originality:As for originality, this one is another tough one to decide on. While both flags do use symbols that would normally be considered as generic, both of them either design in a distinguishing manner, implement and arrange them in a creative, meaningful manner or do both. For Astoria's flag, this is certainly the case for them as the bands used on Astoria's flag do look similar in colours to the USA's spangled banner but the way in which they intersect each other and how they have been arranged nearly completely distinguishes them. A similar thing can be said for their stars which, again, while they are usually a generic feature of many flags, both in real world flags and NS flags, have been arranged in a rather creative and meaningful way that also distinguishes them from other uses of stars on other flags. However, I do find their colours to be a generic since the red, blue and white are pretty much the three most frequently used colours on any flag in general, both individually and collectively. In regards to TAK's flag, while they do have a fairly familiar layout, they, too, also implement and arrange their symbols in a distinguishing manner. For instance, the arrangement of the stars with the crown is clearly very unique but what I find most distinguishing about the design is the raptor, specifically the way in which it is designed. Most eagle-like designs are usually extremely complicated and detailed, especially those going for an historical aesthetic. But this one is very simplistic, even the wings and the tail, a feature that is rarely seen on any eagle-like flags outside of Albalian flags. Not to mention, I think the use of blue and yellow is more original than the use of the comparatively standard colour scheme of blue, red and white. Therefore, in spite of Astoria's flag have a more original layout, I'll have to give this to TAK's flag because of a far more unique colour scheme and just downright more uniquely designed symbols.

Colour Scheme:For the colour scheme, this one is yet another hard category to decide on as both flags are very fitting in terms of the concepts and aesthetic that they try to execute. One of them has a red, blue and white colour scheme which perfectly evokes a North Atlantic aesthetic and the colours do work quite well on the flag. TAK's flag does have a rather interesting colour scheme as well as an intriguing meaning behind it mainly involving the wealth of the nation. While I do find Astoria's colours to be more meaningful, I do find TAK's colour scheme to be slightly superior since they are just more intriguing to my eyes.

Design:In terms of the design, this is, again, another hard category to determine. Both of these designs are easily recognisable from a distance, and are extremely memorable. Astoria's design has some great use of symbolism and some great composition. I do, however, think that TAK's design, particularly its use of symbolism, gives off more character to it due to its association with power and grace. That being said though, I do feel like the positioning of the symbols is a little off. For instance, the tail tip of the raptor doesn't really precisely line up with the centre of the wreath and I feel like the head is a little off in correlation to the crown for some reason. But I don't think that the flaw is noticeable from a distance. So, even with that said, I think I'm, again, giving this one to TAK's flag since I find their aesthetic to be more interesting and it just gives off more character.

Realism:In regards to realism, I will have to give this one to Astoria's flag since, although the intersecting stripes may be more fitting for an airline than a national flag, it does at least give off a more modern feel to it, unlike TAK's flag which gives off a PMT-FT kingdom aesthetic and that doesn't usually bode well among modern real world flags.

Verdict:Overall, winning in 3 out of 5 categories above, at least from my point of view, unless I change my mind, I will have to hesistantly give this one to TAK's flag since I find their colour scheme and aesthetic to be more interesting and I find their symbolism to be more meaningful and distinguishing. As much as I love Astoria's flag and their neat aesthetic, I just don't find their colours or use of symbolism to be as conveying in character or distinctive in my opinion.

by **Hammer Britannia** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:37 pm

The Albalian Kingdom wins out because I am a swedaboo. The colors are just... so pretty.

Plus, Astoria's flag is a bit cluttered

by **-Astoria** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:29 pm

Hammer Britannia wrote:The Albalian Kingdom wins out because I am a swedaboo. The colors are just... so pretty.

Plus, Astoria's flag is a bit cluttered

In terms of the stars (which is understandable), or...?

by **Hammer Britannia** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:35 pm

-Astoria wrote:
Hammer Britannia wrote:The Albalian Kingdom wins out because I am a swedaboo. The colors are just... so pretty.

Plus, Astoria's flag is a bit cluttered

In terms of the stars (which is understandable), or...?

The stars in combination with the stripes, honestly. Both are fine, but it just feels awkwardly combined in a way.

by **-Astoria** » Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:11 pm

Hammer Britannia wrote:
-Astoria wrote:In terms of the stars (which is understandable), or...?

The stars in combination with the stripes, honestly. Both are fine, but it just feels awkwardly combined in a way.

Ah; well, there's also the variant flag, replacing the stars with the coat of arms.

NationStates Flag Bracket II (Congratulations to Albali!)

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