New Glory? Cook County launches contest to design better flag, something ‘simple but elegant’

Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton has a simple acronym to describe the flag that currently flies from county buildings.

“It’s an S.O.B.,” Britton said.

That’s “seal on a bedsheet,” for the uninitiated.

“It’s just not a very good concept,” Britton said.

But it’s an apt description for the rather unimaginative current County Jack: the county seal in a field of white with the words “Cook” and “County” above and below.

“There are a lot of flags like that, and nobody really cares about it, because there’s no significance to people, whereas with Chicago —with the four stars for four important historical moments, one blue line that’s for the lake and the other for the river ... that has significance to people,” Britton said.

Now the vexillologist — the stuffier term for someone who studies flags and their histories — is “geeked out about” a county contest that gives students in grades nine through 12 in the county the chance to redesign the flag.

Provided Photo.

The panel overseeing the contest — which will include Britton and people with backgrounds in design, art history, Chicago history and advertising — plans to meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the county’s boardroom. Letters have already been sent to all the high schools in the county to notify them about the competition.

There are already some ground rules, spelled out on the county’s website.

Do: give the flag a name, describe its colors and patterns, its shapes and symbols and submit it by April 15.

And there are some things to avoid.

Think of them as ‘Red flags.’

Don’t: use any text, lettering or numbering — “the colors, symbols, and patterns should represent the flag’s meaning.”

And don’t use too many colors or include small, detailed or hard to see elements.

And definitely don’t use the county’s seal, map or existing flag.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Britton is hoping students go for something “simple but elegant.”

“While people say they don’t care about flags they really do care about flags,” Britton said. “I hope this is an educational process about how the county got to be here, what was done in the past, what we do now and how we can maintain that.”