Why do we need a new flag?
Since it was adopted in 1983, the current flag of Calgary has never been embraced by Calgarians. Most are unaware that Calgary even has an official flag and those few who do have some difficulty describing what it looks like. The current flag is dated, not just visually but politically as well. It does not acknowledge the local indigenous nations or the growing multicultural community. It makes no reference to the two rivers, the Bow and Elbow, that provided the very reason why Calgary was founded here as a city. It says very little about who we are, where we came from or where we are headed.

Why is there no white hat on the new flag?
The Calgary white hat was introduced to Calgarians in 1943 and has grown in popularity to become an iconic symbol of our city’s hospitality. Although it seems to show up everywhere it really has little to do with the real Calgary. And, it has no context on a civic flag which would only turn it into a cartoon, undermining the ceremonial qualities this symbol represents.

Who asked you to design a new flag?
The 3 Things for Calgary initiative. It asked all Calgarians to do three things to make Calgary a better place to live, work and play. The Flag for Calgary team decided a new flag would create lasting community impact and civic pride for future generations. We strongly believed that to make a better city required a better symbol to represent it. A symbol that helps to nurture community spirit and civic pride.

Who decided this creative team should design a new flag for Calgary?
We did. In the 43 years Calgarians have had the current flag no one has stepped up to make any attempt to change it. The creative team behind the proposed new flag are experts in their field and understand what is required to make a beautiful and meaningful designed flag. Each member of the creative team has over 30+ years of experience working in the design industry. All have lived in Calgary for decades, long enough to see the city evolve into a great city.

What about an open competition so all Calgarians can contribute?
It has been proven many times over that open competitions for flag designs do not work. Entries are often visually and conceptually disappointing and unworkable. Competitions and committees are the main reason there exist so many poorly designed civic flags worldwide. Those few that do succeed were designed by professionals who understood the difficulties and complexities of a successful flag design. Great flags are very difficult to design due to their underlying visual, historical and emotional complexity and minimal geometry. Such a difficult task requires the expertise and experience of a professional design team.

Did anyone ask what Calgarians would like to see on their new flag?
Unfortunately, no. And, to be perfectly honest, maybe we should have. But the outcome of initiating this type of exercise would have resulted in a complicated visual vocabulary. Every Calgarian would have their own idea of what the new flag should look like. And it is just not possible to incorporate all of this into one simple design. The key to a good flag design is in its simplicity and to capture the essence of the city in very simple visual terms. To ensure this we felt it would be more efficient to reverse this process by designing the flag first then asking Calgarians what they thought of it afterward. We designed a flag we felt incorporated much meaning and relevance. Not everyone will agree with the final design or the process we undertook but we hope that most Calgarians will understand our approach and provide their support. It is not possible to please everyone but we feel our design will resonate with most Calgarians.

How much will this new flag cost Calgary taxpayers?
The new flag is a gift to the City of Calgary in recognition of its’ upcoming sesquicentennial. The only costs the City would incur would be the printing of new flags to replace the current flags of Calgary.