Anders Holmquist, Vexillographer
Holmquist waving his flag (evidently before he added the stripes to it)
source: NY Times - Feb 27, 1976
Anders Holmquist made flags for a living, and he promoted the idea that, "Everyone should have his or her own personal flag — a meaningful flag designed especially for the individual."
His own flag consisted of seven stripes: "red for blood, orange for fire, yellow for sun, green for nature, light blue for water, dark blue for sky and purple for spirit. Each stripe ends in a nine-foot tail. At the heart of the flag is a dodecahedron, 12 pentagons, representing the universe and said by Pythagoras, the 6th Century BC Greek philosopher, to be the most perfect geometric form."
I like the idea of everyone having their own flag. So what flag should WU have?
Holmquist called himself a "vexillographer," and according to the LA Times (Jan 3, 1980) he coined this word:
Vexillographer is a word the 45-year-old Swedish immigrant coined from vexillary (Roman standard-bearer) and grapher (designer) — or flag designer.
However, according to Wikipedia, the term "vexillology" (being the study of flags) was coined in 1958 by flag historian Whitney Smith. So Holmquist simply took "vexillo-" and added "-grapher" to it. I'm not sure if that counts as coining the word.
In googling "vexillographer," I quickly discovered that there's a thriving subculture of vexillophiles. For instance, check out the Vexillographer channel on YouTube, maintained by "some weird guy named Peter" (his own self-description). He offers monthly "This Month in Flag News" updates.
Comments
The guy "Peter" who has the "This Month in Flag News" may have to have been treated for overexcitement earlier this year with the proposed changes (that resulted in not changing anything) for the New Zealand national flag.
As far as a proposed WU flag we could do worse than using some of the failed proposals as a starting point
As far as a proposed WU flag we could do worse than using some of the failed proposals as a starting point
Posted by crc on 09/07/16 at 07:53 AM
What should the WU flag look like? Anyone know of the flag design for the school in that "Community" comedy series? It had the motto "E Pluribus Anus" on it.
Posted by KDP on 09/07/16 at 09:39 AM
"light blue for water, dark blue for sky"
What planet is he living on?
What planet is he living on?
Posted by A Nonny Mouse on 09/07/16 at 11:07 AM
This has been a running gag on "The Big Bang Theory" for at least 4 or 5 years.
http://the-big-bang-theory.com/fun_with_flags/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl12Sp1KiEk
http://the-big-bang-theory.com/fun_with_flags/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl12Sp1KiEk
Posted by Frank P on 09/07/16 at 02:23 PM
The WU flag might include the International Maritime Code Flags for W and U. That's "Whiskey, Uniform" to you, seaman. Jpg file at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/147025204@N04/shares/126A70
Posted by Virtual on 09/07/16 at 08:26 PM
Frank -- I was definitely out of the loop on that. (Never seen "The Big Bang Theory"). Now I'm wondering if the Vexillographer's YouTube channel was inspired by The Big Bang Theory.
Posted by Alex on 09/07/16 at 10:51 PM
Has Nonny Mouse never been on a boat at night? The night sky is not black, it's dark blue, and there are parts of the world where the sea water is not green. Also, I hope Fiji resume their contest to change their flag and New Zealand change their mind about keeping their; some of those designs could be great if you replace the British colonialist flag by whatever design the contestants put on the blue part.
Posted by Yudith on 09/08/16 at 06:35 AM
I wonder if he designed personal flags for individuals, for a reasonable price, of course. This seems similar to the sites that promise to discover your family's unique coat of arms based on your last name. I'm sure you can get a flag or banner made for yourself once it's been discovered.
Posted by Fritz G on 09/08/16 at 06:59 AM
WE ARE WU
Maybe not for a slogan?
___________
I
I OOPS
I__________
The black lettering on a white background means we (WU) does not surrender to stupidity.
Maybe not for a slogan?
___________
I
I OOPS
I__________
The black lettering on a white background means we (WU) does not surrender to stupidity.
Posted by BMN on 09/08/16 at 11:31 AM
A simple dodecahedron has twelve smooth pentagonal faces. That thing has a pentagonal pyramid stuck onto each of its twelve faces. Does anyone know what to call it?
Posted by John Ayer on 09/08/16 at 08:05 PM
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