Champaign creative agency named finalist in Illinois flag redesign competition

A Washington native and his creative firm were chosen as a top-10 finalist for the Illinois state flag design contest.

Clanin Creative submitted eight designs, and one was chosen out of roughly 5,000 entries.

Colleen Hayes, a Clanin Creative graphic designer, conceptualized the flag chosen as a finalist, receiving input from colleagues, including owner Scott Clanin, Oscar Aguilar, Jess Johnston and Jason Reitmann.

Clanin Creative’s flag features 21 stripes to depict rows of crops and open plains symbolizing Illinois’ agricultural history. Three six-pointed stars denote the northern, central and southern regions, and their 18 points reference the founding of the state in 1818. A rising sun, which captures a piece of Illinois’ current flag, symbolizes renewal. The flag’s colors — blue, green and yellow — symbolize unity, agriculture and a bright future, respectively.

Clanin Creative, based in Champaign, acknowledged there are strong feelings surrounding the possible redesign of the state flag. Clanin said his team’s goal was to respect the existing flag while giving it a fresh, contemporary look honoring the state’s diversity and shared values.

“My hope is that design inspires appreciation for Illinois’ past, present and future, while uniting everyone in our state, no matter where they’re from,” Hayes said in a press release.

The Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 selections are displayed online. Public voting will begin in January 2025. The public can vote for one of the 10 new designs, or for one of the previous flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.

After the public votes, the Illinois Flag Commission will report the results to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1. Assembly members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous version of the flag or retain the current flag.

News: State unveils 10 finalists for new Illinois flag