By Ann Allen
allen@cviog.uga.edu
When Gov. Roy Barnes signed H.B. 16 into law on Jan. 31, 2001, Georgia immediately had a new state flag. But while the legislative effort may have been over, the work was just beginning for the office of Secretary of State Cathy Cox. The new statutory language provides a general description of the flag’s appearance, but details--such as the precise shades of blue, red or gold, the flag’s dimensions, and the size of the state seal and other components--were left to the secretary of state, who under state law is designated as the official custodian of the state flag.
Enter Ed Jackson and Reid McCallister of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. In 1995, Jackson, an expert on Georgia state history and government, wrote Flags That Have Flown over Georgia, which was printed and distributed by the Office of the Secretary of State. “In fact, Cecil Alexander, the designer of the new state flag, consulted that booklet,” Jackson notes.
The publication included color flag reproductions of past flags; several of those flags are to appear on the new state flag. After the senate passed H.B. 16 on Jan. 30, Jackson called Cox to let her know that the institute had the original computer graphic images from the booklet.
“We offered to make recommendations on the proper images and colors to be used in producing the necessary specifications,” Jackson says. “She accepted and asked us to work with her office in preparing the official version of the new state flag.”
From Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, Jackson and McCallister, who is design and production manager for the institute’s publications program, were in daily contact with Alexander, Bob Ray (assistant secretary of state), and numerous flag manufacturers in Georgia and New Jersey. A number of unusual factors complicated developing the flag design, Jackson emphasizes.
“In regards to color and detail, we had to constantly keep in mind that the design would be on fabric through which different values of light would be shining and that it would be most commonly seen from a distance,” Jackson says.
Almost every component of the new flag, including the state seal, was redrafted, according to McCallister. “We worked on everything from the width of the lines to amount of detail to the type font,” he notes.
There also had to be a balance between historical accuracy and keeping the flag design in line with the prototype approved by the legislature. Jackson points to the state seal and the smaller flag images as examples.
“Although Georgia has only one Great Seal for authenticating acts and official documents, there are various printed versions of the state seal,” he says, “and H.B. 16 did not specify which could be used for the large seal or the seals on the pre-1956 and 1956 state flags. The act also did not specify what colors could be used on the coat of arms and the field of the pre-1879 flag.”
Jackson and McCallister agree that color selection was one of most difficult tasks in the process. “The legislation provided that the field be blue and that the seal and ‘In God We Trust’ be gold, but it did not specify which shades of colors were to be used,” Jackson says. Flag manufacturers need precise instructions on which colors to use so that all flags look similar, regardless of who makes them. The flag law also did not specify whether different shades of red or blue would be used on the small flags to make them historically accurate. After much experimentation, the final colors of Old Glory red, Old Glory blue, Dahlonega gold, and white were specified for the flag when printed on fabric, with specific Pantone ink colors selected for printing the flag on paper.
Once the artwork for the official flag was approved by Barnes, Cox and Alexander on Feb. 7, work began on the official specifications flag makers would need.
“Working with flag manufacturers, we reached decisions on what size flags would be produced,” Jackson says. The size and location of various features on the flag, such as the seal, the lettering, and the ribbon containing the five miniature flags, were spelled out for state flags in sizes ranging from 4 inches by 6 inches to 15 feet by 25 feet. McCal-lister then developed computer-generated versions of the new flag, in PDF, EDS and vector-based formats, for use by flag makers and printers. The Department of Administrative Services is preparing contract specifications for flag makers to bid on producing the approximately 20,000 new state flags that will be provided free to local schools, courthouses and government office buildings. |
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