It might be hard to believe, but despite its popularity today, the Chicago flag was unrecognizable to the general public almost 60 years ago when the owner of a Portage Park hardware store displayed it. Some mistook it “for everything from the flag of Israel to that of one of the Scandinavian countries,” according to an Aug. 12, 1958, Tribune article.
How did this icon come to be? And what makes its design so popular and respected among flag enthusiasts (including the North American Vexillological Association, which says that next to the flag of Washington, D.C., it’s the best city flag in the U.S.) and laymen alike?
Let’s dissect the flag of Chicago by its colors — red, white and blue.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PROJECT
My role
I executed the research, reporting and creation of this visual explanation of the Chicago flag, something that did not already exist on the Chicago Tribune website. I worked with a colleague to arrive at this design style for the project.
Kori Rumore 