Seattle needs a new flag and 12s prove it

How the ‘12th Man’ flag fills the void of a quality Seattle flag

Joshua Lewis/Seattle Refined

WHEN YOU’RE IN SEATTLE, you see it everywhere. Scratch that. When you’re in the Pacific Northwest, you see it everywhere. It is nearly impossible to take a drive through Washington without seeing a bright blue rectangle with two white numbers outlined in black — the 12th Man flag.

If you live in Seattle, there is no doubt that you have seen the 12th Man flag. But how many people have seen the Seattle flag? Despite the fact that Seattle’s flag has existed for over 25 years and emerged from bizarre international politics, most are unaware of its existence.

The primary problem is that the Seattle flag has an outdated design. The 12th Man flag currently fills the void of a quality Seattle flag because of its simplicity and representation of something greater than the Seahawks.

Flags are powerful

Flags are designed to represent something, whether that be an organization, place, object, etc.

The visual power of flags is evident. When designed well, they are able to unify and rally vast populations of people towards a particular cause or identity. We see examples of this everyday in the media.

Ozan Kose/Getty Images

At every LGBT Pride rally, what do you see everywhere in the streets? The Rainbow flag. After the Paris attacks in November of 2015, what did you see in profile pictures on Facebook? The French flag.

Regardless of who or what the flag is for, the key it to clearly convey a message to its viewers in order to properly honor the identity it represents. It is for this reason that flags have played such a vital role in society today.

Five principles of flag design

Considering the nearly impossible burden that flags hold in representing an identity, design is important — especially when they should be seen and recognized from afar.

According to the North American Vexillological Association(NAVA), there are “Five Basic Principles of Flag Design”.

(1) Keep it simple (2) Use meaningful symbolism (3) Use of two or three basic colors (4) No lettering or seals (5) Be distinctive or be related

When a flag breaks one of the principles listed above, it can often (but not always) distract from its purpose.

12th Man flag

UNKNOWN/Space Needle News

Part of what makes the 12th Man flag so popular is what it represents. To Seahawks fans, 12 is not just a number but a symbol of dedication for the almost two-time Superbowl winners in 2014 and 2015. Although Texas A&M technically owns the term “12th Man”, the Seahawks pay for its limited use and fans (a.k.a. 12s) take advantage of this.

The symbolism behind the number 12 relates to the game itself. In football, there are 11 players on the field for each team. The 12th Man refers to crowd present at the Seahawks game as the 12th person on the field with the team.

It is obvious that Seattle loves their Seahawks. It is why we often see the 12th Man flag showcased on top of Seattle’s most iconic monument — the Space Needle. It is why you find the number 12 all over the city. From school classrooms to cranes that are literally building the new Seattle skyline, the flag has become a symbol for the city that the Seahawks originate from.

There are many reasons that the 12th Man flag is so popular but one of the most important is design. It has: (1) a simple design that can be easily replicated, (2) useful symbolism with the use of the number ‘12’, (3) uses three basic colors, (4) contains no useless text, and (5) is distinctive and clearly represents the Seahawks fandom.

The 12th Man flag follows all of the NAVA principles of flag design. No matter how you feel about the Seahawks, it is easy to admire its beautiful design and simplicity.

Seattle flag

Fun fact: Only three official Seattle flags were ever produced!

The current Seattle flag was adopted on July 16, 1990 by City of Seattle Ordinance 28207 for the Goodwill Games. Designed by Seattle City Councilman Paul Kraabel, it features a “white and teal blue/green flag with a stylized portrait of Chief Sealth ringed by the words Seattle, City of Goodwill and undulating white lines, representing the waves in Puget Sound” (City of Seattle).

Days after the flag was adopted, Seattle was host of the second edition of the Goodwill Games, an international sports competition created in response to the political drama surrounding the Olympics in the 1980s.

At the time, incorporating the “City of Goodwill” slogan into the new Seattle flag played one significant role. Because the 1990 Goodwill Games would be hosted in the first American city after deputing in Russia four years prior, it was important to maintain good US-Soviet relations despite the competitive atmosphere. By adopting the slogan into the Seattle flag, it would signify both Seattle’s and the U.S.’ faith in the international community during a period of political uncertainty.

Despite the fact that this flag has now existed for over 25 years, it is rarely seen. Most Seattleites cannot describe the flag or even explain what the “City of Goodwill” means. Historically, the flag played an important role on the international community but it now needs an update, badly.

Seattle needs a new flag

When Seattle City Council doesn’t fly the flag of the city that it serves, that means something. There is a reason that we almost never see the Seattle flag but see the 12th Man flag everywhere. As it stands, the Seattle flag is aesthetically unappealing and needs a redesign that represents a more modern Seattle.

For one, the current flag is overcomplicated. Although distinctive, the undulating lines are an eye sore that would be impossible for your average Seattleite to replicate. This breaks one of the most important principles in design by ignoring the power of simplicity.

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. - John Maeda

Simplicity is one of the most important features to consider because it needs to be clearly seen from afar. Simplicity is what makes the 12th Man flag so popular with its easy to replicate and meaningful symbolism. Instead, a new Seattle flag design with fewer and cleaner lines should be considered.

Another problem with the flag is that it was designed for the Goodwill Games, rather than for city alone. It is for this reason that we see the “City of Goodwill” on top of Chief Seattle. Although the Goodwill Games were undoubtedly one significant event in the history of Seattle, this is not true today — especially considering that the Goodwill Games ended in 2001 after losing millions of dollars and political relevancy following the fall of the USSR.

This points to another design problem by imposing on another key principle of flag design: no lettering or seals. When a flag has to resort to the use of letters rather than using meaningful symbolism, it is already failing as a flag.

Redesign concept by Alex Garey of the Letter Society

Seattle represents more than being the city that hosted the Goodwill Games in 1990. Seattle is rich in history, home to some of the largest companies on the global stage, has endless access to great outdoors, and so much more. A new and beautiful flag needs to properly represent one of the most unique cities in the U.S. The current Seattle flag is an inaccurate representation of what Seattle has to offer and misaligns with the identity of Seattleites today.

IN MANY WAYS, the rise of the 12th Man flag fills the void of a quality Seattle flag. Because the current Seattle flag is outdated and unappealing to Seattleites, it is rarely seen — most can not even describe it or know that it exists. Seattle needs to design a new flag because although the Seahawks provide a sense of unity, a powerful force that is relatable and underlines America’s obsession with sports, it should not do this forever. Seattle represents more than its football team. Seattle represents a diverse population with a rapidly growing presence in the world and the next flag should honor this identity.