Let’s try again.
A team of historians tried again to develop the design of the new South Carolina state flag, after their first attempt was so widely ridiculed that it had to be discarded.
This time, the group is proposing two options for state lawmakers to consider. Both try to resolve the main complaint about the first proposed project: the heart of palm tree in the center looked pathetic.
The two other main components of the iconic South Carolina flag, the crescent in the upper left corner and the deep indigo tone, have not changed since the first design.
See, here they are:
Option A. This is one of two designs proposed for the official South Carolina state flag.
Option A uses the palm tree design that first appeared on the second official state flag, which was adopted in 1910, according to the SC State Flag Study Committee.
Option B. This is one of two designs proposed for the official South Carolina state flag.
Option B is a more recent heart of palm design that has been used by a commercial flag maker since the 1950s. At almost 70 years of age, the study committee still considers it historic.
Now lawmakers can choose which ones they like best.
“We may still have to make some adjustments, but I think it is much better,” said state senator Ronnie Cromer, the Newberry Republican who submitted a proposal calling for a standardized flag design.
The new designs were prepared at the request of SC legislators, interested in standardizing the state flag for the first time in 80 years.
For decades, the South Carolina flag consisted of a white palm tree and a crescent moon against an indigo backdrop, a trio of historic roots that makes it one of the most recognized flags in the country.
But since the design of the official flag was revoked in 1940, the details of the flag – from the shape of the heart of palm to the shade of indigo in the background – have varied in countless iterations created by individual flag makers.
In short, no one knows exactly what the flag should look like.
In 2018, lawmakers gathered a group of historians to find out. The volunteers spent months studying the history of the flag, tracing its roots in the American Revolutionary War. They presented their proposed project to the General Assembly last year.
But that version turned out to be a failure. When the Post and Courier wrote about the new design last month, thousands of Internet commentators stood up in a rare show of unity to declare that they hated it.
The small palm tree in the center supported the weight of the vitriol. Critics compared it to a bathroom brush, Charlie Brown’s fragile Christmas tree, or a tree that barely survived a category five hurricane.
The reaction was strong enough to persuade designers to return to the drawing board.
Scott Malyerck, Newberry’s political adviser who first proposed to standardize the flag and worked on the study committee, said the controversy was productive, in a way, because it heightened awareness that South Carolina has been without a standard flag design for a long time. decades.
It also showed how much the South Carolinians care about a design that they proudly display on hats, windshield decals and, well, flags.
“We are in a good position,” said Malyerck. “People care now.”
Reach Avery Wilks at 803-374-3115. Follow him on Twitter at @AveryGWilks.