Indian Navy's new Ensign is a Design Failure

 Vexillology is the study of history, symbolism and usage of flags, or just the "study of flags", and subsequently, vexillography is the art of flag making. A vexillographer, or someone who designs a flag, must follow some simple guiding principles to make a flag that is appealing, inspiring, and, most of all, tells a narrative. 

The reason why I am explaining to you these terms like a school teacher is that when I first saw the unveiling of the new Indian Naval Ensign, my smile - preconceived with excitement for a fresh look - turned upside down the moment I saw it. I am no vexillographer, but I wanted to understand the reason behind my frown, and I was lost on the internet, trying to understand what makes a flag "good". After almost 30 minutes of utilising my total cerebral capacity, I decided to design my own version of the ensign, hopefully, be more appealing.

Before I reveal my armature masterpiece, I would like to point out the 5 basic principles and the flaws that may be on the current ensign. I understand it has gone through bureaucratic ladders in who-knows-how-many ministries in the government and that this post may offend some of you; I would like to point out that my writings are for the liberal connoisseurs of knowledge and not for the blockheaded folks.

What makes a good flag?

1. Simplicity - a flag must be so simple that a mere child must be able to draw it out of memory, or an abstract representation can be easily formed.
2. Symbolism - the patterns and symbols on a flag must narrate what it stands for.
3. Basic colours - a flag must use basic colours in a limited number, contrasting nicely.
4. Distinctive design or relatable - a flag must stand out or relate to the flags with similar motives.
5. Crests and lettering - a flag must, as much as possible, avoid any seals or lettering, as they are meant to be understood by even the lowest in the literacy pyramid

Now let's have a look at the new Ensign.

Fig 1. The new Indian Navy ensign

On a first look, let's see the aspects it fails in

1. Simplicity - with the sheer number of elements on the ensign, it is far from simple, especially with the embossing around the seal. Moreover, an octagon is a rather tricky shape to master
2. Symbolism - the seal tries to symbolise the naval significance of the Maratha empire and the blue-water operations of the Indian navy. However, the Maratha navy operated mainly in the brown waters near the coastlines and continental shelf, unlike the Indian navy, which has an affinity to the open seas.
3. Colours - the usage of blue to signify the blue-water operations is not so contrasting with the golden colours of the seal.
4. Distinctive design - I cannot think of anything to point out for this
5. Crest and lettering - Ensigns can have a crest or lettering. However, they should be minimal, which in this case is not.

Indeed, the new ensign received negative reviews from current and past officers in the navy. For the historical representation, we must think beyond massive terrestrial empires to the sea-faring Deccan kingdoms like the Cholas or Pallavas - both with a concave red banner as flags with their insignia in the middle. These were true blue-water navies, and to signify the same, we can add the blue colour as a strip only to make it distinct in its natural conditions, i.e., against the backdrop of the open sea and the sky. We can take inspiration from the past ensign with the cross and the national emblem at the center. 

With these thoughts in mind, I decided to create my own version of the ensign, which adheres to the design principles of vexillography.

Fig 2. Alternate design

It incorporates the banner from the Cholas and has the elements of the old ensign with the national emblem at the center. I am no expert in the area, and much better designs may come up for the same. However, I believe it shows a thought process that should go into making a significant symbolic update.

Let me know your thoughts!