bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

CITY OF RAINBOWS

 
 
 
 
 
Submitted by graphic designer Central Saint Student
Is an independent Hong Kong possible? We don’t know. But if we were to design a flag for an independent Hong Kong, it would be one of the most interesting and challenging projects since Hong Kong first became colonized in 1841. A flag represents a country, in the same way that a logo represents a brand or its corporate identity. As it represents a country in a visual manner, its designs have to reflect a country’s history, customs, culture and values. Since 1841, there have been two flags that are particularly recognizable to the public—the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region flag and the British Hong Kong flag—each raised and lowered respectively as the clock turned to midnight during the 1997 handover ceremony. If Hong Kong were to miraculously become independent, it is essential that its new flag reflects its differences compared with the old. Additionally, aside from the fact that it has to be both innovative and unique, we’d also hope it would make its mark in the history of flag designs. The following points are the key concepts and aims of my flag:
Color:
It is every designer’s responsibility to “make everybody happy.” The fact that the HKSAR flag is becoming increasingly unpopular can not only be attributed to the government’s performance as a whole, but also to the overly abstract design on the flag itself. It also looks somewhat like a ventilation fan, which could be another reason [it is disliked]. My new flag design utilizes rainbow colors—a favorite design element of Hong Kong people. If a single color was used, not only is it boring, but it also risks sending the wrong message. Red, the color used in the current HKSAR flag, feels too communist. Orange is too Dutch-like. Yellow is too erotic. Green doesn’t exactly match our concrete jungle of a city, while cyan is too creepy. Blue feels too British, and purple too effeminate. Having considered various logos and designs used by Hong Kong brands and organizations, including the Tourism Board, I realized that using a range of colors is the best way to represent Hong Kong; it is almost as if it’s a reflection of all the colors of Victoria Harbour blended into one.
Lines:
As someone who loves Hong Kong, we respect its history. After experiencing a post-colonization cleanup, the new Hong Kong is becoming increasingly unattractive; most government designs are losing a certain historical beauty,
	and modernized in an ugly way. Although the new flag doesn’t retain any design elements from Hong Kong’s two previous flags, its soft but lively lines reflect the multifaceted nature of Hong Kong; it also illustrates how Hong Kong is a harbor that functions as a shipping and fishing port, among other purposes.
Function:
This rainbow flag is definitely a unique creation. We would both stand out and be immediately recognizable among the sea of flags at the United Nations. Even if the flag was to be placed upside down by accident, it is so colorful that it probably wouldn’t be noticed. Sometimes, what a flag represents and how beautiful or ugly it is has nothing to do with its design. The key lies within
	a country’s actions and what it can offer to the world.
Reach Central Saint Student at www.facebook.com/centralsaintstudent or centralsaintstudent@gmail.com.
 
SYMBOL OF AUTONOMY

 
 
 
 
 
The Facebook group “Hong Kong City-State Autonomy Movement” is considered an anti-mainland force. The group stresses that it is only seeking autonomy, not independence, from the authorities. HKAM flies a modified colonial flag. It removes the former coats of arms, and adds the Chinese for “Hong Kong” to it.
	Find out more about the movement at tiny.cc/HKAM.
 
PEARL OF THE SEA

 
 
 
 
 
“The blue ground represents the sea, referring to its importance in Hong Kong’s history, developing maritime trade to this day, and its physical presence throughout the territory. The central white circle is pearl-like, inspired by the phrase “Pearl of the Orient.” It represents the city as a separate entity, democracy and equality.” Submitted by Roland Sabin via email
 
THOSE HARBOR VIEWS

 
 
 
 
 
“I’ve always thought there’s a special blue-green color to Victoria Harbour that radiates off all the skyscrapers. This was made with a composite of four color samples of the harbor.” Submitted by Trey Menefee via email
 
MORE MADCAP IDEAS
Other readers on Facebook and Twitter suggested various other icons of Hong Kong take centerstage in a hypothetical flag. Ken Iwaki asked for Superman Li ka-shing’s portrait surrounded by the logos of Hong Kong’s omnipresent developers and realtors. Virginia Ho simply stated: “Print Andy Lau on it.”McDull, that much-beloved local cartoon pig, served as inspiration for Yam Tam Eric Lau. Our most creative submission? Maurice Moynihan wrote, “How about a roast duck driving a Bentley against the 7-Eleven stripes?”


Best of the Best: Quotes from the Most Prominent People in Hong Kong

Designer Comma Leung is Crowdfunding to Make Wallets for the Blind

What Do I Need to Know to Survive in Hong Kong?

HK Mag Staff Pick Their Favorite Eats for the Last Time

HK Magazine Archive

Alternative Hong Kong Flags

Magazines

We asked residents to come up with what the flag of an independent Hong Kong would look like—here’s what they drew (and said).


Alternative Hong Kong Flags

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}We asked residents to come up with what the flag of an independent Hong Kong would look like—here’s what they drew (and said).

CITY OF RAINBOWS

We asked residents to come up with what the flag of an independent Hong Kong would look like—here’s what they drew (and said).