CINCYFLAGS
Symbols of Community
CincyFlags was a grant-funded project that collaborated with residents of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods to create professionally-designed unique flags for each.
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Design Direction
Project Management
Website Design
Community Engagement
Design Research
Flag Design
Print Collateral
A Banner Year
…and then some
Over the course of 18 months, we organized and led a group of eleven designers to connect with community members and learn about the rich, varied histories of Cincinnati’s vibrant neighborhoods. The goal was to create meaningful flags by gathering community feedback and holding workshops. I was the Design Director and lead strategist for the project and directly created flag designs for a dozen neighborhoods. To connect the many designs, we implemented a common color family for the project and shared symbols. The 52 flags were unveiled on September 27th, 2019 at Findlay Market.
Gathering Together
During the summer and fall, the CincyFlags team researched, attended community meetings and events in each neighborhood and held flag design workshops around the city.
Principles:
Keep it simple. Be distinctive or related. Use 2-3 colors, meaningful symbolism, and no lettering.
Sewn Into the Community
The project resulted in the fabrication of each flag design by a local flag manufacturing company, a reveal party at Findlay Market, and a website launch with detailed information behind each neighborhood's flag elements. Following the launch, all assets created during the project were released online as open source so that anyone can use the designs however they like.
The CincyFlags project was able to deliver high-quality, original flag designs to neighborhoods that embraced them, and even inspired other neighborhoods and townships to create their own flags locally.
