When I was at Parsons School of Design, I transformed my Manhattan railroad flat kitchen into an American flag. I picked blue fabric with white stars for the table cloth and curtains. I painted the walls a deep red, the floor a deep blue. I thought the American flag was just terrific. I loved the design. But it was the middle of the Vietnam war. My kitchen was a battle ground of conflicted emotions – a loaded rorschach for just about anyone who walked in.
There’s always been disagreement about the original meaning of the design of the flag. Some say the stripes are the rays of the sun, the stars the heavens – imagery from the Free Masons. But then maybe the stripes symbolized prison – a reminder from whence we came – and the stars (each for a colony and, later, a state) the ideals of God and, overall, the freedom to believe what we wish.
The color red may have stood for passion and guts, white for purity and blue for vigilance and justice.
As part of brand America, the flag has proven extremely pliable over the years, surviving burnings, fashion statements and a whole variety of reinterpretations (one of my favorites is the replacement of the stars with corporate logos by Adbusters). But with all the toughness of the flag, the brand itself is fragile.
The flag loses its meaning if the country ceases to rate high branding marks from its citizens (and the rest of the world). They are: differentiation, relevance, reputation … esteem.