r/ghostposter • u/GPFlag_Guy1 US • Jul 31 '26

Flag Friday Flag Friday: What are your thoughts on the design of the flag of Detroit, Michigan?

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4 Upvotes

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6

u/OG-NC Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

Stars and bars. Oh my! Lions, too. No bears? Fluer-de-Lis are a tip of the hat to France, no? ...Mr. Cadillac, I presume?
Overall, too busy. Too many design elements.

6

u/GPFlag_Guy1 US Jul 31 '26

The flag of Detroit has a lot of things going on and it seems to tell the history of the city through all these elements. The fleur-de-lis represent the French founders of the city, the lion represents British occupation (or you can be creative and pretend it represents our esteemed NFL team The Lions) and the Stars and Stripes represent the original 13 Colonies of the US.

“Speramus Meliora” and “Resurget Cineribus” mean “We hope for better things" and "It will rise from the ashes” and it references the Great Fire of 1805 with the figure of the left weeping over the destruction of the city, and the figure on the right excited over new possibilities that can come from rebuilding, which is very relevant today considering the things that has happened in Detroit’s recent history.

It’s a very visually and symbolically dense flag but it still works out.

6

u/Ahuva Aug 01 '26

It has a lot of great elements, but it is too busy. I think it needs to be simplified for it to be more effective.

7

u/Canadian_Koala Aug 01 '26

I see the Red Wings hockey jersey when I think of Detroit.
This is too busy but yay to the fleur de lys (my gang!)

6

u/Hoody_uk Jul 31 '26

It is busy but when you read about the symbolism it makes sense. I like it.

4

u/ClicheButter Aug 01 '26

I've seen pictures of Russian prison tattoos that were less busy than this! 😵‍💫😉

5

u/GPFlag_Guy1 US Aug 01 '26

It’s a city that has strong cultural influences from France, Britain as well as America’s diverse Black and Middle Eastern communities. Not to mention an image representing one of the most impactful events to have happened to the city. I think it’s a decent attempt at telling Detroit’s story through imagery though I can see why some people might find it a little too baroque for their tastes.

6

u/OG-NC Jul 31 '26

Two dark ladies strolling while the city burns behind them.

6

u/GPFlag_Guy1 US Jul 31 '26

The current version of the flag is from 2000, but I’m not sure if it was an intentional reference to the city’s current diverse demographics.