See, that's good flag design, right there. A child can draw it, and it limits itself to basic colors and geometric shapes. it uses its space quite nicely, has meaningful symbols, and shows a clear connection to its heritage through design similarities with other significant flags, namely Old Glory.

I designed a formal flag for my currently flag-less town and ordered the appropriate nylon fabric to piece it together, and hope to present it to my city council before Labor Day. It did not take inspiration from the Des Moines flag, but by happy coincidence it shares many of the same design elements, which I would consider appropriate. It's enough to look intentional, but definitely different enough that you can believe me when I say that I did not specifically have the Des Moines flag in mind at all. However, I do suspect that I was subconsciously influenced. I crafted a design intended to evoke something quintessentially American, but also distinctly Iowan. A few weeks before designing it, a cousin of mine mentioned how he thought that Des Moines had a genuinely good flag, and the overall atmosphere of those graphic elements must have given me a certain frame of reference in my approach for my own town flag.

After I present it to my city council, I hope to show my design on BZPower, regardless of whether or not it's accepted. Until then, I don't really want it floating around on the internet before my presentation.