Designing the Hampton Roads Flag

In the fall of 1997 a diverse group of individuals gathered at Old Dominion University for the purpose of selecting the winner of a High School art contest. The judges numbered about fifteen. They had to be educated about the medium before they could be considered qualified to accomplish their task. The student entries numbered eighty-five. They had been asked to design a flag.

The design of flags is an art form unto itself. Flags have to be the right size and shape. Simple is good, busy is bad. There should be no writing; first, because the words on flags can generally not be read and second, because that which may read properly on one side will be reversed on the other. Great flags have no more than three colors, and it's not enough to just look good hanging on a wall like a picture. Flags must wave, and drape, and look good hanging flaccid from a pole. Finally, flags must have meaning - they must say something about that which they represent. No small task for a high school student or for the panel of judges assembled at ODU in the fall of 1997.

The flag was to represent the region of Hampton Roads. It would be the first of its kind. Nations have flags. Cities and counties have flags, as do armies, sports teams, businesses, and fraternal organizations. But regions, those ephemeral areas defined by geography, history, unity of thought and purpose, a shared vision, and generally ignoring political boundaries, have rarely, if ever, had a flag. Read what the winner, a sixteen year old student at Cox High school, envisioned.

The ring of 16 white stars stands for the cities and counties that comprise the region. The blue stripe refers to the sea and sky, recalling the first European settlers at Jamestown in 1607, the first battle between ironclad ships in 1862, the importance of shipbuilding and repair in the area, as well as maritime commerce, fishing, recreational boating, and the major military and government installations. Agriculture, the environment, tourism, industry, and quality of life are suggested by the lower stripe of green. The wavy white band with three crests suggests past, present, and future. The "wave" also recalls the sand dunes of the area as seen from the sea. Water is the central theme. It touches all the components and binds them together.