Village of Elburn Flag Submissions

The Village of Elburn hosted a community contest to adopt its first official flag. I proudly submitted three designs for consideration.

Before we get into my concepts I think it’s important to think about good flag design and the anatomy of a flag.

Good flag design is based on 5 basic principles:

Keep it simple
Use meaningful symbolism
Use 2-3 basic colors
No lettering or seals
Be distinctive or be related

Flag anatomy and flight

Learning and utilizing flag anatomy was a big part of my process. The canton area of a flag (top-left) signals a position of honor and the main background color of the flag is the “field”.

Best case for the flight or life of a flag is to be waving in the wind but that’s not always the case. A good flag should still be recognizable in any position — even on a quiet day with no wind.

Mood board

Now is the moment you’ve been scrolling for…

Concept: Tank

Symbolism:

Elburn Veterans Memorial Park:
- 5-point star
- Pentagon shape
Sons of Liberty 1765 flag
Union Pacific railroad

This flag features a white star set against a red and blue striped background. The star contains a blue pentagon, drawing symbolism from Elburn Veterans Memorial Park, where a tank sits atop a star-and-pentagon landscape. The stripes are inspired by the Union Pacific logo as well as one of the first American flag—the 1765 Sons of Liberty flag.

Concept: Landscape

Symbolism:

Agriculture
Sunrise/Sunset
Contributor to the Prairie & Corn state
Balance & Dynamism

This flag is an energetic snapshot of Elburn’s beautiful agricultural landscape. Rays of sunshine meet rows of farmland on the Prairie State village horizon. At the center is the Elburn 'E' logo.

Concept: Soar

Symbolism:

Chicago & North Western Railway logo influence
American eagle

This flag is a simple yet deeply historic reminder of Elburn’s past. The Chicago and North Western Railway ran through Elburn for many years. Early logos of the railway featured a distinctive slant, which I incorporated as a white diagonal stripe against the blue field. The eagle serves as a nod to the Illinois flag, American military, and our shared history. Elburn Eagles anyone?