
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
May 13, 2016
Capture the flag

Asafo flag, Fante people, Ghana, post-1957
It is hard to imagine an older form of graphic design than the flag. Certainly illuminated manuscripts would be close, but flags have been so integral to humankind that the number of variations in history is seemingly endless. The process rests on how one divides a rectangle or square with colors, shapes, and symbols—while building meaning into what is there: a practice familar to designers.
International flags, national flags, flags of states and cities, organizational flags, battle flags, religious flags, fraternal flags, flags of ships—the list goes on and on. Flags mark territory, define cultures, nations, boundaries, and represent ethnic groups. When a flag is adopted by a nation, it comes to represent what that nation is or hopes to be. The past, present, and future are manifested in flags.
But I have found a group of flags that seems to throw all that out the window.







Observed
View all
Observed
By John Foster
Related Posts

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
The Remarkable Mr. Deeds
.jpg)
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
Doug Rickard: N. A.

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
An Archive of Czech Film Posters

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
A Visual History of Lunchboxes
Related Posts

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
The Remarkable Mr. Deeds
.jpg)
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
Doug Rickard: N. A.

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries
An Archive of Czech Film Posters

Accidental Mysteries
John Foster|Accidental Mysteries