A great “city” deserves a great flag, and Metairie is no exception. A panel of 19 members of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), all interested in vexillography (the design of flags), recently evaluated the new flag of Metairie. They each rated the design on a scale of 0–10 and provided comments.
Their ratings of the Metairie flag averaged 8.1, a very high score among flag designs. In fact, in NAVA’s 2004 survey of 150 city flags, only ten designs were rated above 8.0. (Since then, many cities have improved their flags, but Metairie’s would still rank among the best in the U.S. today.)
While NAVA itself does not judge flags, this panel of NAVA members strongly supported the new design.
One especially enthusiastic judge wrote: “I would give this flag a 10. It is simple, clear, and easy to see the elements. Once you see and understand it, it would be memorable, even for children. The fleurs-de-lis on blue quickly make the New Orleans area apparent and are historically meaningful. The coeurs-de-lis need to be introduced to non-natives, but this is not an impediment, as all flags need to be introduced, and presumably will strike a chord in Metairie. It has excellent use of color, not over or underdone. The white stripe at an angle really sets off the two elements well. And the flag properly separates base color and metal color according to ancient guidelines. It pleases the eye and looks balanced. It speaks to its home without words or letters, well done. It has familiar symbols, yet is distinctive and pleasing. People would likely be attracted to it and enjoy seeing and using it.”
Another wrote: “The design is beautiful and symbolic. Great flag!”
And Clay Moss, son of Bill and Barbara Moss (former Metairie residents, from the Metairie Apartments on Metairie Road), summed up the design, saying, “Very good design balance relative to all components, and thoughtful representation of south Louisiana’s collective ethnic heritage”.
North American Vexillological Association www.NAVA.org
For more information or to donate for a Metairie Flag, please visit JeffersonChamber.org/MetairieFlag.
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