With New Zealand moving ever closer to a referendum on whether it should change a key element of its national identity, we thought we'd 'flag' (apologies), some design suggestions our global community of creatives came up with.
We received 180 entries for our New Zealand Flag design contest, and although none made the official list, a few were not far off what the nation will be voting on.
The final five contenders were this month hoisted over Wellington ahead of a postal ballot taking place between November 20 and December 11.
But in case there is no stand-out candidate to compete against the current flag, here is our Top 5 from our competition for consideration.
DesignCrowd's New Zealand flag contest winner
This design incorporates a minimalist version of the New Zealand silver fern, while using the current color spectrum of red, white and blue.
The composition is echoed in three of the final designs chosen for the public vote.
Using natural references
This design drops the stars all together, and focuses on the islands that make up New Zealand for the main image.
Two bold stripes of red represent the traditional colors, while there is a reference to the native kiwi bird.
Simplistic artwork
This flag mimics traditional paintings, and illustrates a landscape scene, with Southern Cross stars in the sky above the water that surrounds the islands.
It is a clear nod towards the country’s history, while remaining fresh and modern in design.
Illustration of cultural symbols
This intricate illustration features a silver fern in red and Maori style artwork to give it a very cultural feel.
The colors are more reflective of the traditional flags, and any reference to the blue from the Union Flag has been dropped all-together.
Tip to the traditional
This entry is based on the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, with a blue and white stripe at the bottom providing a link to the Union Flag which features the current design.
The designer has also added a silver fern, which stands out on the black background and mirrors the motif worn by the All Blacks rugby union side.
Want More?
Here is a selection of competitions where our designers came up with creative alternatives for branding problems.
5 Alternative Logo Choices for Tokyo 2020 Olympics And Why They Work So Well
75 Designers Revamp Hillary Clinton's Campaign Logo
Written by Kevin Bradford on Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Kevin Bradford is a content editor at DesignCrowd with a background in journalism and digital production. Experienced in both writing and videography, he loves combining his skills to create captivating content across all multimedia channels.
