Schematic for the flag’s layout on a 3:5 field

The overall composition takes inspiration from abstract representations of geography to symbolize cultural and historical significance. I consider there to be three major components in the composition: the blue field, which represents the state of Massachusetts, the center star, which represents Boston proper, and the seven-spoke hub, which represents Boston’s rays of impact.

Centering, The Star, and The Seven-Spoke Hub

While the design is centered around the star and hub with the intent on making a recognizable graphic, the flag itself is distinctly asymmetrical. While the official centering of two thirds over and two fifths down admittedly don’t have any meaning deeper than aesthetics, charging the star in the upper right is deliberate, representing being in the northeastern corner of a northeastern state.

At the visual center of the design is the five-pointed star, inspired by the stars used in American imagery. The star symbolizes the city of Boston itself, the epicenter of the American Revolution’s birth, and heart of both Massachusetts and New England.

The hub represents the sphere of influence of Boston. Inspired by the major ring road that encloses the city limits, the ring and tangents reference how Boston is the geographic, political, and cultural capital of Massachusetts. Boston’s actions impact not just Massachusetts, but its neighboring states of Rhode Island and New Hampshire as well. I playfully call it a hub as a nod to Boston’s greatest nickname, the Hub of the Universe, though it truly is the heart of the region.

Each of the seven spokes harken to New England cities as they geographically relate to the city. Counterclockwise from the top right, they go:

Northeast: Salem, MA

North: Haverhill, MA

Northwest: Lowell, MA, and Nashua, NH

West: Framingham, Worcester, and Springfield, MA

Southwest: Attleboro, MA, and Providence, RI

South: Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford, MA

Southeast: Plymouth, MA, and Cape Cod

The blue field where the eight absent spoke would be represents the Atlantic Ocean, and Boston’s rich maritime history, culture, and economy. Boston’s development hinged on the ocean, and it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge the mighty Atlantic.

The Colors

The Seven-spoke Hub waving in the flag waver

Boston imagery is wrapped up in blue and gold, most visibly in relation to the Boston Marathon, One Boston Day, and Boston Strong. While the whys can only be speculated (likely due to the historic colonial blue and buff being used on many Boston-related things, including the current city seal flag), it’s clear that Boston’s colors are some shade of yellow and some shade of blue. Rather than trying to prescribe a new coat of paint, I went with the clearly pre-established pair of colors, supported by a comparatively neutral white. However, the colors as they are presented in the flag contain meaning.

The blue’s usage here represents the both the sea and the state. The gold, the city’s forward-thinking spirit. And the white stands for the liberty that the city won the nation in the Revolutionary War.