Summary

DescriptionKeystone Flag.svg	English: A proposed redesign for the flag of Pennsylvania, also known as the "Keystone Flag." The design maintains all of the symbolism of the flag authorized by the state in 1798 and legislated in 1907, but rather than utilizing a complicated Coat of Arms, is designed simply to work best as a flag. A detailed construction sheet is available at File:Keystone Flag Construction Sheet.svg.
Date	10 March 2017 (modified to current proportions 25 June 2019, color specs defined 26 October 2022) [1])
Source	Own work
Author	Tara Stark
Other versions	Derivative works of this file:  Keystone Flag (Progress Pride Variant).svg:

Design

Symbolic meaning

(Care should be taken to display the flag as detailed below in " Display" to help communicate the symbolism of the flag.)

The symbolic meaning of the elements of the flag:

• A keystone (Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State") tying opposite sides of the flag together, as Pennsylvania was the center tying together the 13 original colonies of the United States and continues to be at the center of national thought
• Green, gold, and blue for Virtue, Liberty, and Independence (the state motto)

• When displayed vertically by the hoist (blue at the top), recalls the shield in the state Coat of Arms, and all the symbolism therein
  • Green for fertile fields and Pennsylvania’s wealth of human thought and action
  • Gold for Pennsylvania’s rich natural resources
  • Blue for state commerce being carried worldwide
• The shade and position of blue matches that of the Union on the flag of the United States, symbolizing Pennsylvania's role in the nation's past and ongoing history
• Roughly resembles the geography of western forests/mountains, farmland in the midstate, and the Delaware River making up the eastern border

A visual demonstration of the inspiration for this symbolism is available on KeystoneFlag.org/#symbolism.

Construction

• The Keystone Flag is composed of a bicolor divided midway along the breadth, green at the fly, and blue at the hoist; charged with a gold Keystone spanning the entire breadth of the flag.
• The Keystone shall be composed of two vertically stacked isosceles trapezoids, the smaller above with a height of 1/4 the flag’s breadth, with an upper base of 1/3 and lower base of 1/4 the flag’s length, the larger below with a height of 3/4 the flag’s breadth and upper base of 1/2 and lower base of 1/4 the flag’s length.
• The proportions of the flag must ensure the Keystone is still identifiably a keystone and constitutes approximately one third of the flag, thus, the total length of the flag may be no less than one and one half the breadth, and no more than twice the breadth.
• In the interest of best maintaining symbolism, those who manufacture, create, or reproduce the flag in a manner where the obverse and reverse (front and back) sides of a flag can be discerned (via stitching techniques, orientation of grommets, the bleed of dye, or otherwise) should make every attempt to place the hoist at the right-hand side of the obverse (front) of the flag.
• Fringe may be added to the sides of the flag for ceremonial use.

Colors

The three colors of the Keystone Flag are blue, gold, and green. The shade of blue matches the blue on the Flag of the United States, the shade of gold is "bright and vibrant," the shade of green should "both complement the blue and contrast the gold." The color specifications as defined by Keystone Flag designer Tara Stark are:

Color scheme	Green		Gold		Old Glory Blue [2]
Pantone	349 C		116 C		282 C
RGB	4–106–56		255–205–0		10–49–97
Hex	#007A33		#FFCD00		#0A3161
CMYK	96%–0%–47%–58%		0%–20%–100%–0%		100%–68%–0%–54%

In most cases, on-screen or digital reproductions of the flag should use the RGB colors as in the table above. When displaying in physical fabric formats, it is much preferred to use the Pantone specifications. When printing on paper, the CMYK colours are superior.

Display

To best preserve the symbolism of the flag when displayed, it is recommended to observe the following:

• When affixed to a pole, the top of the Keystone should be oriented closest to the top of the pole.

• When displayed or depicted horizontally (whether draped, hanging, flying in a breeze, or otherwise), green should appear to the observer’s left and blue should appear to the observer's right, wherever feasible.
• Displaying the flag vertically without a flagpole (draped, hanging, or otherwise) is discouraged, but when deemed appropriate or necessary:
  • the hoist should appear above the flag, with the top of the Keystone oriented away from the center of the display, as would appear a stone in an arch;
  • if there is no clear center of display, the top of the Keystone should face away from the nearest portal (doorway, window, passageway, etc);
  • if no center or portal can be determined or the flag is the center of display, the front of the flag should be visible to the most observers;
  • if it will be observed from multiple sides, the top of the keystone should orient to the north or the east (as would the Union of the Flag of the United States).
• If displayed in conjunction with the flag of the United States, where following the above would cause a violation United States Flag Code, accommodations are permissible, but should be made as minimally as able.

Licensing

I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:

This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.enCC0Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedicationfalsefalse

This image of a flag is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship. For more information, see Commons:Threshold of originality § Logos and flags.

This flag is fictitious, proposed or locally used unofficially but not adopted. It may be named as it would be as an official flag of a geographical or other entity and have some visual elements that are similar to official logos or flags of that entity, but it is not official and doesn't have any official recognition. Under any circumstances whatsoever, you should not add these flags in any articles, unless it is proposed by a government agency or it is covered by the media or if the flag is locally used.

1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/452687255183305/posts/722975811487780/
2. ↑ Pantone, RGB, CMYK values appear inconsistent on screen, but are consistent with US Dept of State standards. United States Department of State Identity and Marking Standards. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (June 2012). Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved on 2021-06-18.

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