THE STORY BEHIND THE DESIGN
I may be the designer, but this flag exists because of one person, Sandra Ellmer. Who is she? I had no idea either, but her email to me 4 hours before submissions closed resulted in the creation of this flag.
She showered be with praise about how elegant my black and white fern design was, how appropriate it would be if it was our new flag and how she hoped it would win......... but………...How about a version with colour?
Well how could I deny her after such praise? So with no time to waste I whipped up her requested red/white/ black version. Adapted her idea a bit and had a perfectly plausible flag. Then I had an idea.
All of my original flag promotional material was against a backdrop of green. So what if I swapped the red for green?
Oh yeah.... that works.
Sandra submitted the flags with minutes to spare and I thought that it would be swallowed amongst the 10,000 other designs. Top40 …WOW !!!!
Sandra, I hope we will meet some day so I can personally thank you for encouraging me experiment with this design.
Cheers,
Clay
Official Statement
A new New Zealand flag should be one that is simple, original and able to be embraced by all who call Aotearoa their home.
'The Fern' is a mature koru, suitable for a nation that no longer needs to reference its colonial past. It is deeply rooted in our history, but leads us elegantly towards the stars. Its visual imagery naturally evokes thoughts of unity, equality, freedom, growth, journey, expression, harmony and maturity.
To add another layer of symbolism, the elements of the flag represent the following:
Black, our historical national colour. The colour of warriors but also the colour of reflection. Let us not forget those who have gone before us and let us not stop examining the roles we personally and collectively play as citizens of this country and planet.
16 white fronds for the regions of our land and the clouds of Aotearoa. The colour of peace. May the fronds also be seen as the path of the peacemaker.
Green the colour of our fertile and untamable land. Let us respect her and trust that she will continue to nourish our bodies as well as our souls.
The curvature of the fern is representative of our positive nature, our ability to overcome obstacles and as a British friend humorously suggested "the upward inflection of our speech".
I hope that 'The Fern' can be a flag for all New Zealanders. One that encourages unity, peace, tolerance and understanding. One that pursues excellence in all endeavors, while maintaining a humble connection with this earth and all of its inhabitants.
Clay
I may be the designer, but this flag exists because of one person, Sandra Ellmer. Who is she? I had no idea either, but her email to me 4 hours before submissions closed resulted in the creation of this flag.
She showered be with praise about how elegant my black and white fern design was, how appropriate it would be if it was our new flag and how she hoped it would win......... but………...How about a version with colour?
Well how could I deny her after such praise? So with no time to waste I whipped up her requested red/white/ black version. Adapted her idea a bit and had a perfectly plausible flag. Then I had an idea.
All of my original flag promotional material was against a backdrop of green. So what if I swapped the red for green?
Oh yeah.... that works.
Sandra submitted the flags with minutes to spare and I thought that it would be swallowed amongst the 10,000 other designs. Top40 …WOW !!!!
Sandra, I hope we will meet some day so I can personally thank you for encouraging me experiment with this design.
Cheers,
Clay
Official Statement
A new New Zealand flag should be one that is simple, original and able to be embraced by all who call Aotearoa their home.
'The Fern' is a mature koru, suitable for a nation that no longer needs to reference its colonial past. It is deeply rooted in our history, but leads us elegantly towards the stars. Its visual imagery naturally evokes thoughts of unity, equality, freedom, growth, journey, expression, harmony and maturity.
To add another layer of symbolism, the elements of the flag represent the following:
Black, our historical national colour. The colour of warriors but also the colour of reflection. Let us not forget those who have gone before us and let us not stop examining the roles we personally and collectively play as citizens of this country and planet.
16 white fronds for the regions of our land and the clouds of Aotearoa. The colour of peace. May the fronds also be seen as the path of the peacemaker.
Green the colour of our fertile and untamable land. Let us respect her and trust that she will continue to nourish our bodies as well as our souls.
The curvature of the fern is representative of our positive nature, our ability to overcome obstacles and as a British friend humorously suggested "the upward inflection of our speech".
I hope that 'The Fern' can be a flag for all New Zealanders. One that encourages unity, peace, tolerance and understanding. One that pursues excellence in all endeavors, while maintaining a humble connection with this earth and all of its inhabitants.
Clay