explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T16:43:09Z

82.132.231.190:

Could there possibly be a reference to New Zealand’s laser kiwi flag? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104|2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104]] 22:01, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

Oooh, I like a good Flag comic. Not been one for a while, and I used to use one of them as my xkcd fora avatar. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:09, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

what is that animal [[User:Mathmaster|Mathmaster]] ([[User talk:Mathmaster|talk]]) 22:22, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

The inner flag doesn't have its own inner flag... [[User:AoPS is superior|AoPS is superior]] ([[User talk:AoPS is superior|talk]]) 22:43, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Which suggests to me is that ''this'' flag is of one nation/entity that incorporates the national flag of another nation (often done... see Hawaii's flag). It only says "National flag" (which, as it happens, has many identical features, just not all), rather than "''this''' nation's national flag", so it needn's necessarily be "The People's Republic of Drosteland" being totally self-referential through infinite recursion. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:38, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Was I the only one who was disappointed that the inner flag doesn’t have ''different'' strips torn off than the outer flag? [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 16:25, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Isn't the "tribute to topology" a half-turn to make the flag one-sided (Möbius strip)? [[Special:Contributions/130.216.50.126|130.216.50.126]] 00:54, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Wifi transmitter? it looks liek the contactless icon for cards so i was thinking it'd at least work in that NFC-adjacent way, which needs no power source. [[Special:Contributions/193.61.208.1|193.61.208.1]] 00:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The state flags of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Haiti, and the national flags of El Salvador and Ecuador have themselves on the flag, via the state seals [[Special:Contributions/104.58.95.236|104.58.95.236]] 01:27, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

I think the customize option doesn't refer to customizing the flag itself, but customizing privacy options for the data it collects. It is similar to the options shown on a website when it asks about using cookies. [[User:An architect|An Architect]] ([[User talk:An architect|talk]]) 02:24, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Is 'beige background' a reference to the 'color of the universe' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte ? That struck me especially given the mention of stars [[Special:Contributions/202.80.150.54|202.80.150.54]] 02:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Why is one of the little tear off tabs missing the full phone number? [[Special:Contributions/2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55|2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55]] 03:57, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: It's a citizenship test - if you take that one, we don't want you. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:32, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

"Customize" does not mean "changing the colour/design of the flag". It is one of the two most common buttons in GDPR (supposedly-) compliant cookie warnings, which allows you to access a very long list of uses to manually give consent to, as well as a link to access a very long list of data vendors to also tweak who you do not mind getting your data. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.49.13|94.73.49.13]]

Could the rounded corners be a reference to this? https://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/04/the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-the-first-smartphone-designed-entirely-by-lawyers/

Can anyone add an explaination of "Every place has a local cryptid"? --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.177|85.159.196.177]] 10:49, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: Well it's something of an exaggeration, but certainly {{w|List_of_cryptids#List|''many'' places do have a cryptid.}} If you allow mythological/folkloric beasts that might once have been considered cryptids (albeit the word itself might not have been coined), then there are many more, many of which do appear on flags. Randall is suggesting that they're so commonplace that they're less interesting than ''real'' animals that we can't identify the representations of. Perhaps even to the extent of advocating that such cases should be deliberately created. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:11, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The flag of Ukraine has its own in there infinite times in infinite locations and sizes along the centre line {{unsigned ip|115.70.50.83|10:51, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

Perhaps the Chromaticity Diagram is meant to render the flag impossible to make. Any pigment used to produce the flag will occupy a point on the diagram, and only points within a polygon defined by those pigments' vertexes could be accurately reproduced by mixing. So the edges would be approximations of the representative colors, making the diagram not "true." {{unsigned ip|2600:387:c:6e14::1|14:48, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

"Text on flags is considered bad" - weeeell.... Flags with text are not particularly usual in the "pure symbology" variation of vexilology, given that easy (and potentially illiterate) recognition/reproduction is one thing for which flags were developed (as opposed to, for example, modern day placards with a 'message' of some kind, decorated/illustrated or otherwise). But if the flag contains a full 'coat of arms' in its design then it likely (along with the heraldic 'supporters') has the "motto ribbon" with text set upon it, at its most thorough rendering. The four trigrams on the S. Korean flag might be considered 'text' to some, and there are other flags of the region that contain local glyphs. A number of Islamic country flags have actual arabic text featured on them (yes, to some, such a flag ''might'' be considered "bad", but for different reasons). The "Don't step on me" snake-flag also (and, again, some might consider its use bad, but only because they consider its ''users'' to typically be 'bad', politically-speaking, and it's getting to be more a 'banner' than a flag, anyway). I don't expect that original bald statement to last much longer, but I'm not sure how much I could do to improve it. Making the flag (apparently) interactive seems to be the big issue, IMO, adding label and button widgets (dynamic or otherwise) ''and'' for GDPR-like purposes is the thing. Text, or any kind of more complex glyph, probably should be avoided in a properly designed symbolic flag, but that doesn't mean that one cannot have a flag with (say) "15th <MY TOWN> Cub Scouts" written around/beneath the scouting symbol as a parading banner, alongside the Union Flag which lacks text but has (if anything) stricter positioning of its various more simple coloured swathes and field in order to be correct (and not perhaps even upside-down). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.190|82.132.231.190]] 16:37, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T16:41:44Z

82.132.231.190:

Could there possibly be a reference to New Zealand’s laser kiwi flag? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104|2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104]] 22:01, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

Oooh, I like a good Flag comic. Not been one for a while, and I used to use one of them as my xkcd fora avatar. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:09, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

what is that animal [[User:Mathmaster|Mathmaster]] ([[User talk:Mathmaster|talk]]) 22:22, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

The inner flag doesn't have its own inner flag... [[User:AoPS is superior|AoPS is superior]] ([[User talk:AoPS is superior|talk]]) 22:43, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Which suggests to me is that ''this'' flag is of one nation/entity that incorporates the national flag of another nation (often done... see Hawaii's flag). It only says "National flag" (which, as it happens, has many identical features, just not all), rather than "''this''' nation's national flag", so it needn's necessarily be "The People's Republic of Drosteland" being totally self-referential through infinite recursion. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:38, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Was I the only one who was disappointed that the inner flag doesn’t have ''different'' strips torn off than the outer flag? [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 16:25, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Isn't the "tribute to topology" a half-turn to make the flag one-sided (Möbius strip)? [[Special:Contributions/130.216.50.126|130.216.50.126]] 00:54, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Wifi transmitter? it looks liek the contactless icon for cards so i was thinking it'd at least work in that NFC-adjacent way, which needs no power source. [[Special:Contributions/193.61.208.1|193.61.208.1]] 00:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The state flags of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Haiti, and the national flags of El Salvador and Ecuador have themselves on the flag, via the state seals [[Special:Contributions/104.58.95.236|104.58.95.236]] 01:27, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

I think the customize option doesn't refer to customizing the flag itself, but customizing privacy options for the data it collects. It is similar to the options shown on a website when it asks about using cookies. [[User:An architect|An Architect]] ([[User talk:An architect|talk]]) 02:24, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Is 'beige background' a reference to the 'color of the universe' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte ? That struck me especially given the mention of stars [[Special:Contributions/202.80.150.54|202.80.150.54]] 02:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Why is one of the little tear off tabs missing the full phone number? [[Special:Contributions/2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55|2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55]] 03:57, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: It's a citizenship test - if you take that one, we don't want you. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:32, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

"Customize" does not mean "changing the colour/design of the flag". It is one of the two most common buttons in GDPR (supposedly-) compliant cookie warnings, which allows you to access a very long list of uses to manually give consent to, as well as a link to access a very long list of data vendors to also tweak who you do not mind getting your data. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.49.13|94.73.49.13]]

Could the rounded corners be a reference to this? https://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/04/the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-the-first-smartphone-designed-entirely-by-lawyers/

Can anyone add an explaination of "Every place has a local cryptid"? --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.177|85.159.196.177]] 10:49, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: Well it's something of an exaggeration, but certainly {{w|List_of_cryptids#List|''many'' places do have a cryptid.}} If you allow mythological/folkloric beasts that might once have been considered cryptids (albeit the word itself might not have been coined), then there are many more, many of which do appear on flags. Randall is suggesting that they're so commonplace that they're less interesting than ''real'' animals that we can't identify the representations of. Perhaps even to the extent of advocating that such cases should be deliberately created. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:11, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The flag of Ukraine has its own in there infinite times in infinite locations and sizes along the centre line {{unsigned ip|115.70.50.83|10:51, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

Perhaps the Chromaticity Diagram is meant to render the flag impossible to make. Any pigment used to produce the flag will occupy a point on the diagram, and only points within a polygon defined by those pigments' vertexes could be accurately reproduced by mixing. So the edges would be approximations of the representative colors, making the diagram not "true." {{unsigned ip|2600:387:c:6e14::1|14:48, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

"Text on flags is considered bad" - weeeell.... Flags with text are not particularly usual in the "pure symbology" variation of vexilology, given that easy (and potentially illiterate) recognition/reproduction is one thing for which flags were developed (as opposed to, for example, modern day placards with a 'message' of some kind, decorated/illustrated or otherwise). But if the flag contains a full 'coat of arms' in its design then it likely (along with the heraldic 'supporters') has the "motto ribbon" with text set upon it, at its most thorough rendering. The four trigrams on the S. Korean flag might be considered 'text' to some, and there are other flags of the region that contain local glyphs. A number of Islamic country flags have actual arabic text featured on them (yes, to some, such a flag ''might'ç be considered "bad", but for different reasons). The "Don't step on me" snake-flag also (and, again, some might consider its use bad, but only because they consider its ''users'' to typically be 'bad', politically-speaking, and it's getting to be more a 'banner' than a flag, anyway). I don't expect that original bald statement to last much longer, but I'm not sure how much I could do to improve it. Making the flag (apparently) interactive seems to be the big issue, IMO, adding label and button widgets (dynamic or otherwise) ''and'' for GDPR-like purposes is the thing. Text, or any kind of more complex glyph, probably should be avoided in a properly designed symbolic flag, but that doesn't mean that one cannot have a flag with (say) "15th <MY TOWN> Cub Scouts" written around/beneath the scouting symbol as a parading banner, alongside the Union Flag which lacks text but has (if anything) stricter positioning of its various more simple coloured swathes and field in order to be correct (and not perhaps even upside-down). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.190|82.132.231.190]] 16:37, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T16:37:47Z

82.132.231.190:

Could there possibly be a reference to New Zealand’s laser kiwi flag? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104|2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:2D7E:D360:EEA6:2104]] 22:01, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

Oooh, I like a good Flag comic. Not been one for a while, and I used to use one of them as my xkcd fora avatar. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:09, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

what is that animal [[User:Mathmaster|Mathmaster]] ([[User talk:Mathmaster|talk]]) 22:22, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

The inner flag doesn't have its own inner flag... [[User:AoPS is superior|AoPS is superior]] ([[User talk:AoPS is superior|talk]]) 22:43, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Which suggests to me is that ''this'' flag is of one nation/entity that incorporates the national flag of another nation (often done... see Hawaii's flag). It only says "National flag" (which, as it happens, has many identical features, just not all), rather than "''this''' nation's national flag", so it needn's necessarily be "The People's Republic of Drosteland" being totally self-referential through infinite recursion. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:38, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
:Was I the only one who was disappointed that the inner flag doesn’t have ''different'' strips torn off than the outer flag? [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 16:25, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Isn't the "tribute to topology" a half-turn to make the flag one-sided (Möbius strip)? [[Special:Contributions/130.216.50.126|130.216.50.126]] 00:54, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Wifi transmitter? it looks liek the contactless icon for cards so i was thinking it'd at least work in that NFC-adjacent way, which needs no power source. [[Special:Contributions/193.61.208.1|193.61.208.1]] 00:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The state flags of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Haiti, and the national flags of El Salvador and Ecuador have themselves on the flag, via the state seals [[Special:Contributions/104.58.95.236|104.58.95.236]] 01:27, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

I think the customize option doesn't refer to customizing the flag itself, but customizing privacy options for the data it collects. It is similar to the options shown on a website when it asks about using cookies. [[User:An architect|An Architect]] ([[User talk:An architect|talk]]) 02:24, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Is 'beige background' a reference to the 'color of the universe' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte ? That struck me especially given the mention of stars [[Special:Contributions/202.80.150.54|202.80.150.54]] 02:56, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Why is one of the little tear off tabs missing the full phone number? [[Special:Contributions/2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55|2401:D005:D402:7A00:A657:9BBB:CD:EF55]] 03:57, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: It's a citizenship test - if you take that one, we don't want you. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:32, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

"Customize" does not mean "changing the colour/design of the flag". It is one of the two most common buttons in GDPR (supposedly-) compliant cookie warnings, which allows you to access a very long list of uses to manually give consent to, as well as a link to access a very long list of data vendors to also tweak who you do not mind getting your data. --[[Special:Contributions/94.73.49.13|94.73.49.13]]

Could the rounded corners be a reference to this? https://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/04/the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-the-first-smartphone-designed-entirely-by-lawyers/

Can anyone add an explaination of "Every place has a local cryptid"? --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.177|85.159.196.177]] 10:49, 26 May 2026 (UTC)
: Well it's something of an exaggeration, but certainly {{w|List_of_cryptids#List|''many'' places do have a cryptid.}} If you allow mythological/folkloric beasts that might once have been considered cryptids (albeit the word itself might not have been coined), then there are many more, many of which do appear on flags. Randall is suggesting that they're so commonplace that they're less interesting than ''real'' animals that we can't identify the representations of. Perhaps even to the extent of advocating that such cases should be deliberately created. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:11, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

The flag of Ukraine has its own in there infinite times in infinite locations and sizes along the centre line {{unsigned ip|115.70.50.83|10:51, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

Perhaps the Chromaticity Diagram is meant to render the flag impossible to make. Any pigment used to produce the flag will occupy a point on the diagram, and only points within a polygon defined by those pigments' vertexes could be accurately reproduced by mixing. So the edges would be approximations of the representative colors, making the diagram not "true." {{unsigned ip|2600:387:c:6e14::1|14:48, 26 May 2026 (UTC)}}

"Text on flags is considered bad" - weeeell.... Flags with text are not particularly usual in the "pure symbology" variation of vexilology, given that easy (and potentially illiterate) recognition/reproduction is one thing for which flags were developed (as opposed to, for example, modern day placards with a 'message' of some kind, decorated/illustrated or otherwise). But if the flag contains a full 'coat of arms' in its design then it likely (along with the heraldic 'supporters') has the "motto ribbon" with text set upon it, at its most thorough rendering. The four trigrams on the S. Korean flag might be considered 'text' to some, and there are other flags of the region that contain local glyphs. A number of Islamic country flags have actual arabic text featured on them (yes, to some, such a flag ''might' be considered "bad", but for different reasons). The "Don't step on me" snake-flag also (and, again, some might consider its use bad, but only because they consider its ''users'' to typically be 'bad', politically-speaking, and it's getting to be more a 'banner' than a flag, anyway). I don't expect that original bald statement to last much longer, but I'm not sure how much I could do to improve it. Making the flag (apparently) interactive seems to be the big issue, IMO, adding label and button widgets (dynamic or otherwise) ''and'' for GDPR-like purposes is the thing. Text, or any kind of more complex glyph, probably should be avoided in a properly designed symbolic flag, but that doesn't mean that one cannot have a flag with (say) "15th <MY TOWN> Cub Scouts" written around/beneath the scouting symbol as a parading banner, alongside the Union Flag which lacks text but has (if anything) stricter positioning of its various more simple coloured swathes and field in order to be correct (and not perhaps even upside-down). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.190|82.132.231.190]] 16:37, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T16:04:17Z

82.132.231.190: /* Flag features */ I wish the person who had en-tabled the list hadn't done so whilst I was making my own edits. Hope I've reintegrated my propsed changes into the Edit Conflict properly.

{{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 covered in [[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 feature smaller versions of themselves as part of the design, 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 {{w|design by committee}} where a design made without a unifying vision, but rather many compromises between competing visions, results in overcomplexity, banality and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.

The title text references the animal on the flag, with [[Randall]] expressing his opinion that more places should use hard-to-distinguish cryptids like on the flag. This may be a reference to the fact that many places in the world have a local cryptid, and to creatures like the Egyptian god Set where the original creature isn't 100% known.

=== Flag features ===

{| class="wikitable"
|+ From the top, going clockwise
|-
! Feature !! Description !! What this has to do with flags
|-
| A drawing of an unusual creature in grey. || [[Randall]] relates it to the {{w|Pictish Beast}}, an animal that appears frequently in the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland, and about which there has been much debate about what animal it is meant to represent. Randall has flipped this around, taking an animal whose identity is disputed and incorporating it into a cultural artefact in an attempt to get assistance with identifying it.|| Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them, often one native to, or heraldically representative of, the polity the flag belongs to. Some are quite abstract, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the original animal (though not so much so as in this flag.){{Citation needed}}
|-
| National flag || Incorporating a flag into another flag is not uncommon, such as with the {{w|Union Jack#Use in other flags|Union Jack}} found in the flags of many current and former British colonies and territories, or with national flags being included in naval ensigns, but a flag that includes a smaller version of itself as a detail is a novelty. Typically, such inclusions are to indicate a link to the entity whose flag is included, but in this case it would be self-referential and meaningless. This could also cause an issue by leading to a {{w|Droste effect|recursive loop}} of nested flags, but thankfully this feature is omitted in the second iteration.|| Several flags, in particular in some variants, show a relevant coat of arms on the flag, while other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. The flag-on-the-flag concept is a 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, such as a hidden map of the country on it. 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. It is also one of the many random and strange tributes on this flag.
|-
| Tap here to pay taxes || This is the icon often used on payment cards to indicate the availability of contactless payment. 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 RFID-activated features, which typically require relatively close proximity, difficult to use. || This may be riffing on the {{w|flag of South Korea}}, which includes four trigrams which could (if you squint) be considered to look somewhat like this logo.
|-
| Tribute to topology || {{w|Topology}} is the study of the underlying geometric form of things. Most flags have a very simple topology, being a single sheet of material. This side of this 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, sewing or otherwise affixing parts of the flag together. || A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a different front and back sides. Talking about the “front and back sides” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptionally difficult. Many flags include notable {{w|topography|topo''graphic''}} features, such as mountains, rivers, etc., and Randall may have deliberately confused the two terms.
|-
| 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 somehow present a range of data processing options for the 'user' to select from. The technology or design features it uses to do this are unknown. 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. || Text on flags is considered bad
|-
| Interested in citizenship? Take one! || This is a rather unorthodox method of gaining new citizens, that mimics a form of advertising that typically provides contact details on each strip, allowing people to take them away and contact the advertiser with an expression of interest at their own convenience. This has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in that it would be difficult to reach the strips to tear them off when the flag is flown high. Additionally 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 rather than due to use - Probably using another common advertising method, to make it look like a product is popular to encourage people to 'follow the others'. || There are some flags (such as the {{w|flag of the Republic of Venice|that of the Republic of Venice}}) which have a fringed design similar to this.

|-
| 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 or make them more pleasant to use, although this is a moot point with flags since they are generally constructed using cloth that are based upon perpendicular warp and weft and are edge cut (then edge-seamed) in line with the respective thread-directions. Moulded, cast or otyerwise machined physical objects with rounded corners may be more durable, as stresses no longer concentrate at the places where the sharp corners would be, nor are those corners the natural first points of any impact, although whether this logic applies to a flag highly depends upon whether the halyard is attached to the flag via a heading or by sewn-in grommits (through which are tied toggles or inglefield clips inserted), which is usually accounted for by further stitching used at and around the hoist-side's attachment points.

Rounded corners are also a gimmicky way to display {{w|graphical widget}}s in computer interfaces, usually by applying a selective transparency (and perhaps areas of non-interaction) to the corners of otherwise rectangular areas used by buttons and other display components, for purely aesthetic reasons (as progressively happened to the [https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/images/blog/startevolution.JPG Start Button] from Windows XP onwards). It isn't unlikely that this flag-feature is being used to parody the trend of making virtual objects (often inherently and 'square') look unnecessarily more like smooth-edged physical objects.
|-
| 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. || The purpose of flags is to be seen, and it is usually desirable for them to be easy to replicate - quite unlike this flag!
|-
| 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. || A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, though {{w|Flag of Nepal|Nepal's}} is a notable exception. A slightly off-rectangular flag makes things awkward for people drawing or otherwise trying to represent it, without having any particular meaning beyond its 'jauntiness'.
|-
| Tan and white stars on a beige field || Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast. It also uses very dull colours, which would be hard to distinguish from far off, defying the point of a flag as an easy-to-recognise symbol of something. This may be a deliberate attempt to avoid offending anyone by inadvertently including colors that have some political or otherwise contested connotation. || Example
|-
| CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity || A {{w|CIE 1931 color space}} diagram is a representation of the entire visible light spectrum. This is probably included as a reference to help address color issues arising from reproducing the flag in a given medium. However, given the flag is tan, white, beige and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

It may also be referencing the {{w|rainbow flag}} or its many variants known as {{w|pride flag}}s. The original concept was to convey diversity by featuring many stripes of different colors, the most common variant having six of them. On the other hand, it can be criticized as suggesting there are only six options. It sparked creation of many multi-colored pride flags to more thoroughly convey diversity. Including every possible visible color takes this concept to the extreme.

As well as that, it is a helpful feature on flags to be easily replicated, meaning having a few simple base colours. However, it could be very difficult to replicate a gradient like that. || Gradients are rare on flags, as they are difficult to make (though less so now that printing is common), and often are not considered to look good on flags, especially when flying rather than represented digitally
|};

==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

2026-05-26T15:03:43Z

82.132.231.190: /* 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 covered in [[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 feature smaller versions of themselves as part of the design, 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 {{w|design by committee}} where a design made without a unifying vision, but rather many compromises between competing visions, results in overcomplexity, banality, and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.

The title text references the animal on the flag, with [[Randall]] expressing his opinion that more places should use hard-to-distinguish cryptids like on the flag. This may be a reference to the fact that many places in the world have a local cryptid, and to creatures like the Egyptian god Set where the original creature isn't 100% known.

=== 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}}, an animal that appears frequently in the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland, and about which there has been much debate about what animal it is meant to represent. Randall has flipped this around, taking an animal whose identity is disputed and incorporating it into a cultural artefact in an attempt to get assistance with identifying it.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them, often one native to, or heraldically representative of, the polity the flag belongs to. Some are quite abstract, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the original animal (though not so much so as in this flag{{citation needed}}).

; National flag

: Incorporating a flag into another flag has often been done before, such as with the {{w|Union Jack#Use in other flags|Union Jack}} found in the flags of many current and former British colonies and territories, or with national flags being included in naval ensigns, but a flag that includes a smaller version of itself as a detail is a novelty. This is a thoroughly useless thing, as many times flags are shown within flags to establish its link to another country, yet this one is just the flag itself, and the 'link' is unnecessary. This could also cause an issue by leading to a {{w|Droste effect|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 a relevant coat of arms on the flag, while other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. The flag-on-the-flag concept is a 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, such as a hidden map of the country on it. 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. It is also one of the many random and strange tributes on this flag.

; Tap here to pay taxes

: This is the icon often used on payment cards to indicate the availability of contactless payment. 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 RFID-activated features, which typically require relatively close proximity, difficult to use.

: What this has to do with flags: This may be riffing on the {{w|flag of South Korea}}, which includes four trigrams which could (if you squint) be considered to look somewhat like this logo.

; Tribute to topology

: {{w|Topology}} is the study of the underlying geometric form of things. Most flags have a very simple topology, being a single sheet of material. This side of this 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, sewing, or otherwise affixing parts of the flag together.

: What this has to do with flags: A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a different front and back sides. Talking about the “front and back sides” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptionally difficult. Many flags include notable {{w|topography|topo''graphic''}} features, such as mountains, rivers, etc., and Randall may have deliberately confused the two terms.

; 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 somehow present a range of data processing options for the 'user' to select from. The technology or design features it uses to do this are unknown. 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, that mimics a form of advertising that typically provides contact details on each strip, allowing people to take them away and contact the advertiser with an expression of interest at their own convenience. This has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in that it would be difficult to reach the strips to tear them off when the flag is flown high. Additionally 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 rather than due to use - Probably using another common advertising method, to make it look like a product is popular to encourage people to 'follow the others'.

: What this has to do with flags: There are some flags (such as {{w|Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Venice|that of the Republic of Venice}}) which have a fringed design similar to this.

; 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 or make them more pleasant to use, 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. Indeed, the purpose of flags is to be seen, and it is usually desirable for them to be easy to replicate - quite unlike this flag!

; 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 vexillologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, though {{w|Flag_of_Nepal|Nepal's}} is a notable exception. A slightly off-rectangular flag makes things awkward for people drawing or otherwise trying to represent it, without having any particular meaning beyond its 'jauntiness'.

; Tan and white stars on a beige field

: Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast. It also uses very dull colours, which would be hard to distinguish from far off, defying the point of a flag as an easy-to-recognise symbol of something. This may be a deliberate attempt to avoid offending anyone by inadvertently including colors that have some political or otherwise contested connotation.

; CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity

: A {{w|CIE_1931_color_space|CIE 1931 diagram}} is a representation of the entire visible light spectrum. This is probably included as a reference to help address color issues arising from reproducing the flag in a given medium. However, given the flag is tan, white, beige, and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

: It may also be referencing the {{w|rainbow flag}} or its many variants known as {{w|pride flag}}s. The original concept was to convey diversity by featuring many stripes of different colors, the most common variant having six of them. On the other hand, it can be criticized as suggesting there are only six options. It sparked creation of many multi-colored pride flags to more thoroughly convey diversity. Including every possible visible color takes this concept to the extreme.

:As well as that, it is a helpful feature on flags to be easily replicated, meaning having a few simple base colours. However, it could be very difficult to replicate a gradient like that.

==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

2026-05-26T14:55:40Z

82.132.231.190: /* 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 covered in [[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 feature smaller versions of themselves as part of the design, 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 {{w|design by committee}} where a design made without a unifying vision, but rather many compromises between competing visions, results in overcomplexity, banality, and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.

The title text references the animal on the flag, with [[Randall]] expressing his opinion that more places should use hard-to-distinguish cryptids like on the flag. This may be a reference to the fact that many places in the world have a local cryptid, and to creatures like the Egyptian god Set where the original creature isn't 100% known.

=== 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}}, an animal that appears frequently in the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland, and about which there has been much debate about what animal it is meant to represent. Randall has flipped this around, taking an animal whose identity is disputed and incorporating it into a cultural artefact in an attempt to get assistance with identifying it.

: What this has to do with flags: Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them, often one native to, or heraldically representative of, the polity the flag belongs to. Some are quite abstract, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the original animal (though not so much so as in this flag{{citation needed}}).

; National flag

: Incorporating a flag into another flag has often been done before, such as with the {{w|Union_Jack#Use_in_other_flags|Union Jack}} found in the flags of many current and former British colonies and territories, or with national flags being included in naval ensigns, but a flag that includes a smaller version of itself as a detail is a novelty. This is a thoroughly useless thing, as many times flags are shown within flags to establish its link to another country, yet this one is just the flag itself, and the 'link' is unnecessary. This could also 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 a relevant coat of arms on the flag, while other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. The flag-on-the-flag concept is a 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, such as a hidden map of the country on it. 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. It is also one of the many random and strange tributes on this flag.

; Tap here to pay taxes

: This is the icon often used on payment cards to indicate the availability of contactless payment. 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 RFID-activated features, which typically require relatively close proximity, difficult to use.

: What this has to do with flags: This may be riffing on the {{w|flag of South Korea}}, which includes four trigrams which could (if you squint) be considered to look somewhat like this logo.

; Tribute to topology

: {{w|Topology}} is the study of the underlying geometric form of things. Most flags have a very simple topology, being a single sheet of material. This side of this 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, sewing, or otherwise affixing parts of the flag together.

: What this has to do with flags: A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a different front and back sides. Talking about the “front and back sides” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptionally difficult. Many flags include notable {{w|topography|topo''graphic''}} features, such as mountains, rivers, etc., and Randall may have deliberately confused the two terms.

; 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 somehow present a range of data processing options for the 'user' to select from. The technology or design features it uses to do this are unknown. 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, that mimics a form of advertising that typically provides contact details on each strip, allowing people to take them away and contact the advertiser with an expression of interest at their own convenience. This has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in that it would be difficult to reach the strips to tear them off when the flag is flown high. Additionally 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 rather than due to use - Probably using another common advertising method, to make it look like a product is popular to encourage people to 'follow the others'.

: What this has to do with flags: There are some flags (such as {{w|Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Venice|that of the Republic of Venice}}) which have a fringed design similar to this.

; 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 or make them more pleasant to use, 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. Indeed, the purpose of flags is to be seen, and it is usually desirable for them to be easy to replicate - quite unlike this flag!

; 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 vexillologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, though {{w|Flag_of_Nepal|Nepal's}} is a notable exception. A slightly off-rectangular flag makes things awkward for people drawing or otherwise trying to represent it, without having any particular meaning beyond its 'jauntiness'.

; Tan and white stars on a beige field

: Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast. It also uses very dull colours, which would be hard to distinguish from far off, defying the point of a flag as an easy-to-recognise symbol of something. This may be a deliberate attempt to avoid offending anyone by inadvertently including colors that have some political or otherwise contested connotation.

; CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity

: A {{w|CIE_1931_color_space|CIE 1931 diagram}} is a representation of the entire visible light spectrum. This is probably included as a reference to help address color issues arising from reproducing the flag in a given medium. However, given the flag is tan, white, beige, and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

: It may also be referencing the {{w|rainbow flag}} or its many variants known as {{w|pride flag}}s. The original concept was to convey diversity by featuring many stripes of different colors, the most common variant having six of them. On the other hand, it can be criticized as suggesting there are only six options. It sparked creation of many multi-colored pride flags to more thoroughly convey diversity. Including every possible visible color takes this concept to the extreme.

:As well as that, it is a helpful feature on flags to be easily replicated, meaning having a few simple base colours. However, it could be very difficult to replicate a gradient like that.

==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]]

Talk:3242: Aperiodic Table

2026-05-26T14:29:49Z

82.132.231.190:

And the award for turning the periodic table into Chutes and Ladders goes to... 18:18, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:I don't see any chutes or ladders (or snakes for that matter), so this looks more like Candyland. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B02D:5F1A:A53B:AB2A:3F1B:CF1D|2600:1001:B02D:5F1A:A53B:AB2A:3F1B:CF1D]] 23:33, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

FIRST! also how has this not been explained? explain it! {{unsigned ip|2605:59c8:22e3:3e14:2583:32c8:f9de:2888|18:31, 6 May 2026}}
:Actually, I was first, I just took a while explaining it. {{unsigned|Teddy|18:46, 6 May 2026}}
:Well, you weren't first, were you. Moved you to chronologically after the actual first comment here. HTH, HAND. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:26, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Hey guys, don't forget to sign your comments with 4 tildes. 18:54, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:Hmm, something seems to be wrong with the signature code. It's putting in the timestamp, but not the username. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:55, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::And now the username is back! [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:56, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::If you sign with "<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>" (''five'' tildes), you get just "20:26, 6 May 2026 (UTC)" (for this edit, note that it is identical to the timestamp this edit's end-signature of four tildes will have given). You/whoever else might have accidentally done that. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:26, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

The first paragraph currently ends with "and the elements increase in size when reading it left-to-right and top-to-bottom (like a book)." This is incorrect. Actually, they do get larger going down a column, but they get smaller going left to right along a row. This causes a staircase effect. The short explanation is that as you add protons, they pull in the electron cloud more tightly, making the atom smaller, but when you add an electron in a new primary energy level, it's enough larger to overcome the effect of the additional protons resulting in a larger atom. [https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/06:_The_Periodic_Table/6.15:_Periodic_Trends-_Atomic_Radius This page] has a more complete explanation. So, should we just remove the claim that the atoms get larger in size? We could make it accurate, but I'm not sure how to phrase it in a way which actually adds to the explanation. [[User:Mootstrap|Mootstrap]] ([[User talk:Mootstrap|talk]]) 20:50, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:Increase in 'size' is differently interpretable. The atomic number itself increases. The typical nucleon count/atomic weight (''almost'' identically) tends to rise (give or take choice of isotopic variation), and the nucleus itself will therefore be larger by the same degree (if not slightly more, for the same reason as the electron shells/orbitals get pulled inwards a bit for any given model) if that's something that you care to measure.
:Maybe just a different word, to replace the ambiguous "size". Although I'm also personally not enamoured of the "like a book" bit, which seems to be trying to just say that the table ''isn't'' unusually ordered, like it potentially could have been (e.g. a bottom-up version). [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:16, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

The "they don't have enough enrichment in their enclosures" is a suggestion that scientists are being treated as zoo animals, and unless they have enough toys to play with they start coming up with strange concepts. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 21:00, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

It should be noted that element 81 in the table is incorrectly labeled “Ti” (as in titanium) instead of “Tl” (Thallium) [[User:Vekkizunt|Vekkizunt]] ([[User talk:Vekkizunt|talk]]) 21:11, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:Strange that Name Explain had a YouTube video recently, where he made the same error. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 21:21, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::The colors are also peculiar to me, in particular, why is hydrogen colored as an alkali metal, or bismuth colored as a metalloid? [[User:Vekkizunt|Vekkizunt]] ([[User talk:Vekkizunt|talk]]) 21:51, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::Hydrogen is generally placed as "Group 1", as per the actual Alkali Metals. Unless you 'float' Hydrogen (and sometimes even Helium, not actually above Group 18) as entirely apart from the rest of the table, there's no better placement than above the left-(and right-)most column.
:::Metaloid classification is... fuzzy. Bismith ''is'' metaloid, for some listings/tables, as well as others just off the 'main sequence' diagonal. Or it's one of the other metalloid-like subset demarcations that float around the potentially rather variably-defined metal/non-metal demarcation line. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:16, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

It's... not a table though? So wouldn't it be the Aperiodic Non-Table of the elements? {{unsigned ip|198.27.229.162|16:53, 7 May 2026 (UTC)}}
:Aperiodic Snake of the Elements 🐍 [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 17:13, 7 May 2026 (UTC)

Am I the only one who started reading all the elements with the Animaniacs 'Yakko's World' song music running through their head? 22:23, 7 May 2026 (UTC)
:You aren't the only one. Someone should do this on youtube.[[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 00:25, 14 May 2026 (UTC)

By inventing an alternative periodic table layout in this comic, Randall is telling us *HE* doesn't have enough enrichment in his enclosure. Could someone please go enrich his enclosure ASAP? [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:35, 7 May 2026 (UTC)
:Webcomic artists are a dying species, this is a serious issue, someone notify the Wildlife service. [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 03:20, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
::So... I take it you've got some ideas about a Captive Breeding Program? ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.212.205|82.132.212.205]] 14:45, 14 May 2026 (UTC)

I actually disagree with the last sentence of the explanation. This comic is about the genius of the invention of the periodic table. Initially all scientist had was something like it is depicted above, but with some repetition in the properties of the elements (here colors), but not in regular intervals, but in increasing ones, and with holes. The periodic table made sense out of it. --[[Special:Contributions/2001:4091:A245:85A4:B3F7:458A:62CB:C68D|2001:4091:A245:85A4:B3F7:458A:62CB:C68D]] 05:57, 8 May 2026 (UTC)

May also be a nod to how some paths in some games where they are relevant are randomly chosen. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C0F:2600:1507:76:E696:AF71|2001:4C4E:1C0F:2600:1507:76:E696:AF71]] 13:33, 8 May 2026 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed it ended in "cul-de-sac", without any easy way to add more elements? [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 17:06, 8 May 2026 (UTC)
:Clearly, the creator of ''this'' periodic table knows something that no other creator of a periodic table knows... There ''are'' no other elements possible, despite what 'normal' theoretical physics says... ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:59, 8 May 2026 (UTC)

The "periodic" table is not periodic according to the mathematical definition, since the repetition interval changes.[[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 01:54, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

This is a missed opportunity: Randall should have used pentagons instead of squares, or David Smiths' tile shape. {{unsigned ip|144.178.87.26|12:07, 26 May 2026}}