In March of 2015, digital storyteller Roman Mars gave a TED Talk about flags. While that may not sound exciting, it ended up being an interesting exploration of why flags resonate with us. He discussed what makes a good flag, what makes a bad flag, and how people around the country are trying to fix the flags that don’t live up to their city’s greatness.
Later that same summer, the Downtown Bellingham Partnership hosted their own flag design challenge, inviting local designers to try their hand at developing a visual brand for Bellingham. Designers from many firms competed, and a few flags came out on top. One of those was designed by Brad Lockhart.
Brad has lived in Whatcom County since he was a young child. He grew up sharing his time in Deming and Bellingham, and after graduating from high school he went to Whatcom Community College. His band Black Eyes and Neckties were a staple of the local music scene, but after several years and extensive touring they were ready to call it quits. That got Brad thinking about what to do next. In addition to performing with his band, Brad had designed the band’s posters.
“It really just started out as me doing the thing that needed to be done,” he said. But along the way, he started designing posters and logos for other local musicians and venues. After his band split up, he went back to school at Western Washington University so he could pursue a career in design.
Shortly after graduating, Brad got a design job at Faithlife, where he’s worked for 2.5 years. When he heard about the flag challenge being sponsored by the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, he knew he had to give it a shot.
The top eight flag designs were chosen by the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s former director and were then put up for a vote. Brad’s design got the most votes, but the project fell through. To reinvigorate the project, Brad decided to make one flag for the Partnership to raise at the Commercial Street Night Market. They quickly sold out of over 200 flag stickers in one night. It became clear that Brad’s proposed flag design was tapping into a desire for a visual identity for Bellingham.
“I think it’s invaluable,” said Brad. “Obviously, flags mean a lot of things to a lot of people. City flags are on the rise. Forty-seven cities around the country are developing flags right now.”
Some might wonder why anyone should be worrying about a flag when there are such big challenges to face, but designers all around the world would likely argue that having a unifying symbol to rally behind can make working toward solutions that much easier.
“People like to think locally when their world seems a little on edge,” Brad shared. “You can dream about setting fire to things, or can actually make things better. I think this flag is a tiny part of that.”
We’ve probably all seen examples of symbols bringing people together in our own lives. After major tragedies, our nation has rallied behind the American flag as a symbol that unites an often fragmented country. The Stars and Stripes have been a banner to unite us in periods of darkness and peril, a way to remind us that we are part of a common story no matter our race, religion, sexual expression, family history, political party, etc. Flags can serve as a visual record of important history that shapes our communities.
Image courtesy: Brad Lockhart.
“The first settlers in the area were the Coast Salish tribes, and they’re represented by the two stars,” explained Brad. “The squiggly lines stand for ‘noisy water,’ the translation for the meaning of Whatcom.” He also wanted to include the symbolism of perhaps the most prominent physical feature of Bellingham: Our bay, represented by a blue half-crescent. The blue and green stripes (colors that symbolize our bounty of water and trees) represent the four towns settled in the 1800s: Whatcom, Sehome, Bellingham, and Fairhaven. While the towns were settled geographically in that order (from top to bottom as you look at the flag), the arrangement was a fluke.
“I was trying to tell the story one step at a time,” Brad explained. “But the pieces started to literally and figuratively connect as I designed it.” Brad also drew inspiration from Roman Mars’ TED Talk, keeping the major design principles Mars outlined in mind as he designed the flag.
Even with its immediate success, members of city government weren’t prepared to adopt the flag officially because they hadn’t been involved in the initial process. But because Brad created and owned the design, he decided to take it to the people. In June he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund an initial printing of the proposed city flag. The project raised nearly $8,000 — well over his $1,500 goal. Among its backers? Roman Mars.
Kickstarter backers have begun to receive their shipments, but Brad is already looking to the future. He hopes for a time when the proposed flag can become the official flag, therefore opening the design to others to be able to reproduce as they see fit.
“Everyone will own it, and I think that’s really cool,” said Brad.
On August 16 and 17 Brad will be teaming up with WhatcomTalk’s own Kevin Coleman for a special Bellingham flag event at the Bellingham Boys and Girls Club. While the event is not open to the public, club members will get an opportunity to hear about the history of Bellingham and the development of the flag from Brad while Kevin teaches members how to paint the flag.
“I want to inspire kids to have a connection to Bellingham and learn about the artist,” shared Coleman. “Plus being an artist myself, anytime we can teach art and culture to kids I’m all about it.”
For more information about Brad and the flag, visit Brad’s website LARIAT creative.
