explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T07:03:16Z

2A02:3100:A882:5900:4B93:FA16:C9B8:4408:

{{comic
| number = 3250
| date = May 25, 2026
| title = Flag Design
| image = flag_design_2x.png
| imagesize = 678x428px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Every place has a local cryptid; more places need a local Pictish Beast, a creature in historical art that's drawn so weirdly that no one can tell what animal it's supposed to be.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a recursive flag. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a parody of normal flag designs, a subject previously used by [[1815: Flag]] and [[2528: Flag Map Sabotage]]. For example, animals are commonly used on flags, and stars are also occasionally on flags. However regular flags don't have themselves on it, and don't have tributes or references to topology.{{Citation needed}} It is designed similarly to the [[xkcd Phone]] series, with a number of improbable features indicated with labels. The caption of "I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park" references the common problem of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_by_committee design by committee] where a design made without a unifying vision but instead many compromises between competing visions results in overcomplexity, banality, and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.
=== Flag features ===
From the top, going clockwise:

; We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate

: Refers to a drawing of an unusual creature in grey. Randall relates it to the {{w|Pictish Beast}}, a similarly ambiguous animal distinct to the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland. Randall wants there to be more things like the Pictish Beast, so he's adding one to his flag.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them.

; National Flag

: Putting a flag in a flag has often been done before, such as with the [https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35890670 Union Jack] found in the flags of many current and former British colonies, but the same flag has never been put inside itself. This could cause an issue by leading to a recursive loop of nested flags, but thankfully this feature is omitted in the second iteration.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, in particular in some variants, show the corresponding coat of arms on the flag, other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. Therefore flag-on-the-flag is a logical, but nonsensical extension of the combination of both concepts.

; Island (Not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general)

: Elements on flags often have hidden meanings that aren't obvious at first glance. This is an example of an element with a lack of meaning that isn't obvious at first glance: an outline of an island that doesn't refer to a specific island.

; Tap here to pay taxes

: Besides the inherent ridiculousness of adding such a feature to a flag, flags are generally flown very high so that they can easily be seen, making touch activated features difficult to activate. This would also at the very least require a wifi transmitter and a thumbprint analyzer in the simplest of implementations, increasing the cost of flag production.

; Tribute to topology

: This side of the flag appears to have been separated and twisted by one half-turn to turn the flag into a {{w|Möbius strip}}. This would be difficult to do in real life without disconnecting and gluing parts of the flag together.

: What this has to do with flags: A few flags are known among vexilologists for having a different front and back side. Talking about the “front and back side” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptionally difficult.

; GDPR consent

: Implies the flag somehow collects data about people who view (or touch) it. This may be related to the "Tap here to pay taxes" feature. Of note is the "customize" option, implying that the flag can change its appearance dynamically through an unknown technology. Alternatively, this flag could be designed to be embedded as a webpage online, where this and the "Tap here to pay taxes" features would make some sense, and the version on the physical flag could be purely cosmetic.

; Interested in citizenship? Take one!

: This is a rather unorthodox method of gaining new citizens. This also has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in addition to its own unique ones, (since flags are generally designed to be hard to tear). The design of the flag within the flag implies that the strips that have been torn off are part of the flag design and not due to use.
; Rounded corners

: Unusual, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary, as many flags do come in slightly unorthodox shapes. Could be a reference to how many everyday objects have rounded corners to reduce risk of injury, although this is a moot point with flags since they are generally either placed on a surface or made of cloth.

; EURion anti-counterfeit mark

: The "{{w|EURion constellation}}" is a pattern of symbols is used as an anti-counterfeiting measure often incorporated in a number of secure documents such as banknotes, checks, and ownership title certificate designs. Flags are not secure documents and therefore do not require anti-counterfeiting measures.

; Jaunty angle

: Implies that the flag is NOT being viewed at an angle, but rather that the flag is in fact a slanted parallelogram in shape. This could have some unintended consequences when flown on a pole.

: What this has to do with flags: A few flags are known among vexilologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, except for Nepal. A slightly off-rectangular flag takes this to the extreme.

; Tan and white stars on a beige field

: Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast

; CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity

: This is likely meant to be used as reference to help address color issues arising from a given medium, though given the flag is tan, white, beige, and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A flag with many things on it.]
:[From left to right, top to bottom, in order labels:]
:[Label:]CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity. [Icon]
:
:[Label:] We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate. [Icon:] An equine creature of some sorts.
:
:[Label:] National Flag. [Icon:] A miniature version of the flag, however it is missing a miniature version of itself.
:
:[Label:] Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) [Icon:] A nondescript island shaped blob.
:
:[Label:] Tap here to pay taxes. [Icon:] 4 sequential curves, a shape commonly used on NFC scanners to read a credit or debit card to encat payment.
:
:[Label:] Tan and white stars on beige field. [Icon:] 32 stars in a rectangle surrounding all the previously mentioned icons, save for the tax payment NFC scanner.
:
:[Label:] Jaunty angle. [Icon] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags left edge is not at a 90 degree angle with the top and bottom edges.
:
:[Label:] Tribute to topology [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the right edge of the flag is separated from the rest of the flag in the middle and twisted one half turn to make the flag into a Möbius strip.
:
:[Label:] Eurion Anti-counterfeit mark. [Icon:] A set of EURion dots, in the shape of the constellation Orion, commonly used on currency to prevent the use of printers to copy and mass produce counterfeit money.
:
:[Label:] Rounded corners. [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags corners are rounded.
:
:[Label:] Interested in citizenship? Take one! [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that one who wishes to sign up for citizenship of this fictional nation, can tear off a strip and contact the person on it, referencing posters one can find around a residential areas in a similar format.
:
:[Label:] GDPR consent [Icon:] A menu saying "you have a choice in how we manage your data" with hypothetically intractable buttons saying "ACCEPT" and "CUSTOMIZE" reminiscent of similar menus that appear when you visit a website for the first time, or after you clear your cache.
:
:[Caption below flag:]
:I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Graphic designers]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T07:00:00Z

2A02:3100:A882:5900:4B93:FA16:C9B8:4408: /* Flag features */

{{comic
| number = 3250
| date = May 25, 2026
| title = Flag Design
| image = flag_design_2x.png
| imagesize = 678x428px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Every place has a local cryptid; more places need a local Pictish Beast, a creature in historical art that's drawn so weirdly that no one can tell what animal it's supposed to be.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a recursive flag. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a parody of normal flag designs, a subject previously used by [[1815: Flag]] and [[2528: Flag Map Sabotage]]. For example, animals are commonly used on flags, and stars are also occasionally on flags. However regular flags don't have themselves on it, and don't have tributes or references to topology.{{Citation needed}} It is designed similarly to the [[xkcd Phone]] series, with a number of improbable features indicated with labels. The caption of "I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park" references the common problem of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_by_committee design by committee] where a design made without a unifying vision but instead many compromises between competing visions results in overcomplexity, banality, and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.
=== Flag features ===
From the top, going clockwise:

; We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate

: Refers to a drawing of an unusual creature in grey. Randall relates it to the {{w|Pictish Beast}}, a similarly ambiguous animal distinct to the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland. Randall wants there to be more things like the Pictish Beast, so he's adding one to his flag.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them.

; National Flag

: Putting a flag in a flag has often been done before, such as with the [https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35890670 Union Jack] found in the flags of many current and former British colonies, but the same flag has never been put inside itself. This could cause an issue by leading to a recursive loop of nested flags, but thankfully this feature is omitted in the second iteration.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, in particular in some variants, show the corresponding coat of arms on the flag, other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. Therefore flag-on-the-flag is a logical, but nonsensical extension of the combination of both concepts.

; Island (Not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general)

: Elements on flags often have hidden meanings that aren't obvious at first glance. This is an example of an element with a lack of meaning that isn't obvious at first glance: an outline of an island that doesn't refer to a specific island.

; Tap here to pay taxes

: Besides the inherent ridiculousness of adding such a feature to a flag, flags are generally flown very high so that they can easily be seen, making touch activated features difficult to activate. This would also at the very least require a wifi transmitter and a thumbprint analyzer in the simplest of implementations, increasing the cost of flag production.

; Tribute to topology

: This side of the flag appears to have been separated and twisted by one half-turn to turn the flag into a {{w|Möbius strip}}. This would be difficult to do in real life without disconnecting and gluing parts of the flag together.

; GDPR consent

: Implies the flag somehow collects data about people who view (or touch) it. This may be related to the "Tap here to pay taxes" feature. Of note is the "customize" option, implying that the flag can change its appearance dynamically through an unknown technology. Alternatively, this flag could be designed to be embedded as a webpage online, where this and the "Tap here to pay taxes" features would make some sense, and the version on the physical flag could be purely cosmetic.

; Interested in citizenship? Take one!

: This is a rather unorthodox method of gaining new citizens. This also has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in addition to its own unique ones, (since flags are generally designed to be hard to tear). The design of the flag within the flag implies that the strips that have been torn off are part of the flag design and not due to use.
; Rounded corners

: Unusual, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary, as many flags do come in slightly unorthodox shapes. Could be a reference to how many everyday objects have rounded corners to reduce risk of injury, although this is a moot point with flags since they are generally either placed on a surface or made of cloth.

; EURion anti-counterfeit mark

: The "{{w|EURion constellation}}" is a pattern of symbols is used as an anti-counterfeiting measure often incorporated in a number of secure documents such as banknotes, checks, and ownership title certificate designs. Flags are not secure documents and therefore do not require anti-counterfeiting measures.

; Jaunty angle

: Implies that the flag is NOT being viewed at an angle, but rather that the flag is in fact a slanted parallelogram in shape. This could have some unintended consequences when flown on a pole.

; Tan and white stars on a beige field

: Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast

; CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity

: This is likely meant to be used as reference to help address color issues arising from a given medium, though given the flag is tan, white, beige, and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A flag with many things on it.]
:[From left to right, top to bottom, in order labels:]
:[Label:]CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity. [Icon]
:
:[Label:] We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate. [Icon:] An equine creature of some sorts.
:
:[Label:] National Flag. [Icon:] A miniature version of the flag, however it is missing a miniature version of itself.
:
:[Label:] Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) [Icon:] A nondescript island shaped blob.
:
:[Label:] Tap here to pay taxes. [Icon:] 4 sequential curves, a shape commonly used on NFC scanners to read a credit or debit card to encat payment.
:
:[Label:] Tan and white stars on beige field. [Icon:] 32 stars in a rectangle surrounding all the previously mentioned icons, save for the tax payment NFC scanner.
:
:[Label:] Jaunty angle. [Icon] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags left edge is not at a 90 degree angle with the top and bottom edges.
:
:[Label:] Tribute to topology [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the right edge of the flag is separated from the rest of the flag in the middle and twisted one half turn to make the flag into a Möbius strip.
:
:[Label:] Eurion Anti-counterfeit mark. [Icon:] A set of EURion dots, in the shape of the constellation Orion, commonly used on currency to prevent the use of printers to copy and mass produce counterfeit money.
:
:[Label:] Rounded corners. [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags corners are rounded.
:
:[Label:] Interested in citizenship? Take one! [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that one who wishes to sign up for citizenship of this fictional nation, can tear off a strip and contact the person on it, referencing posters one can find around a residential areas in a similar format.
:
:[Label:] GDPR consent [Icon:] A menu saying "you have a choice in how we manage your data" with hypothetically intractable buttons saying "ACCEPT" and "CUSTOMIZE" reminiscent of similar menus that appear when you visit a website for the first time, or after you clear your cache.
:
:[Caption below flag:]
:I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Graphic designers]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]