The dimensions are a 1 to 1.9 ratio, same as the US flag. The colors have been sampled from Von Luschan's chromatic scale.
Some background on my thoughts as I threw this together:
I found that the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement of the colors was simply to put them in order of brightness. But this meant putting white on either the top or the bottom. If it was on the top, then it would imply that whites come first or are more important, and just the opposite for blacks. If it was on the bottom, then there would a suggestion of support for retributive inequality.
So I decided to put the darkest color in the middle, and place lighter colors on either side, alternating so as to keep the gradients as close together as possible. Whites are still on the bottom, but since asians are on top instead of blacks it seems less adversarial to me. Plus, blacks are in the middle, which, like being on top, emphasizes them, but is tempered by a reference to how racial equality's roots are in the struggle for black equality.
But then, I am a white, middle class, American male, who has been exposed primarily to the modern historical narrative of the Civil Rights Movement, and who has no expertise in matters of racial equality or relations. So I figure that just maybe for a design proposed by me to be something that everybody can get behind, regardless of race, ethnicity, or cultural origins, it needs to be exposed to a few diverse communities first, and get some revision to include the view points of other races before trying to take it to the mainstream.
As the creator, I release this design into the public domain, where it belongs.
Alternative proposals:
* Pribnow's deemphasis of skin colors and use of rotational symmetry
I think going with some shape with rotational symmetry with various colors superimposed might work better and look better. I'm no designer but I made this in paint real quick to give an idea of what I mean: I don't know that it looks any better, and I agree with what ooli said about basing the flag on different skin colors possibly being the wrong way to go, but I can't think of a better alternative right now.
I like this. The only problem it's a visually complicated pattern, which don't make for good, recognizable flag design. But that's only this particular mockup. The idea of using rotational symmetry and superimposed colors is itself very worth exploring.
Ok. First I appreciate the initiative. But. Reading the title I though we will have some white, black, yellow and red circles. You missed the red. You went with stripes.
The LGBTQ work because it's just a rainbow. They didnt choose a pink flag with a strapon and a blond wig. Racial equality don't need some reminder of bad stereotypes and skin color difference. Your idea of racial equality stand on skin color, somehow I think it's wrong.
Second. It should at least be an abstraction of what it is trying to convey. Prejudiced people's first impression seeing that flag necessarily implies thinking about skin-tones. With that, there comes more stereotypes. With that, there comes more prejudices. With that, there comes a cognitive effect that you initially wanted to fight against. Good thing that you (OP) started this thought and its accompanying discussion. I would rather start with: "Does racial equality need a flag?"
Ah, the second stripe from the bottom is supposed to be red. I can make it redder, but I've been hoping to make sure the colors are accurate. That's why I turned to Von Luschan. I'll go find some accurate place I can source a redder color from. But it also makes a great deal of sense to ditch skin colors completely. After all, race is a social construction. On the other hand, I can't imagine a design that effectively communicates what it's about without using those colors. But I did just have a couple ideas of how to symbolize that colors are not different in any meaningful sense and speak equality more clearly. I'll try them out tomorrow.
Maybe no flag about racial equality sends more of a signal about racial equality than a flag about racial equality? Within the realms of less is sometimes better? In my world people should not care about superficial features such as color and shape, so why make a flag for it? But then again, science proves all the time that we can only very hardly get rid of stereotypes in our thinking. They are, from an evolutionary standpoint, rather important for our survival. So maybe we need a flag after all? I confuse myself.
Speaking practically, because the LGBTQ movement already took the best one. I went with a "rainbow of skin colors" because I thought it would help people realize it was an equality movement by noticing its similarities to the rainbow flag, which is already well recognized by the public. And how could we not use colors? I suppose we could use various shades of gray, but then the flag looks depressing. Although I am now thoroughly convinced that the flag will need to make clever use of shape. I've equality symbols buzzing all over the place in my head. Oh, sorry, I thought you talking just to using skin colors in a flag. Well, I mean, I generally dislike flags. They're extremely powerful symbols, but they're most prominently used as symbols that divide people, into countries, into armies, into opposing groups or competing teams or organizations. The LGBTQ flag doesn't do that, and I hope that a racial equality flag won't do that. But I think the movement needs something to foster a sense of cooperation and organization. Humans do better at everything when they have that.In my world people should not care about superficial features such as color and shape, so why make a flag for it?
So maybe we need a flag after all?
Hey emperor, thanks for your reply.
In a very weird sense, I think, the LGBTQ flag creates its own mental borders by simply being a representation of a movement. This is very far fetched and way too philosophical for this thread's purpose, but think about it for a second. (And I don't want to demotivate anybody to do anything). But, by creating a symbolic representation of something (like a gender movement, a racial movement, a political movement, a simple opinion on anything), you necessarily create/put into existence an In-Group (supporters of that movement, people that have the same opinion, people that work towards the same goal) and also an Out-group (people opposing your movement/opinion). Generally, such a categorization of In-, and Out-groups comes in handy for our survival, just as it did for millions of years. On the other hand, though, with such an intrinsic system of putting objects, meanings, semantics, etc. into differently labeled drawers, you create a clash of opinions. This is, again, very far fetched. I come from a psychological background. All you want is make a flag for a good reason. I support that. I like the idea. Although, I am not a graphic designer, I know my way around Illustrator and Photoshop. When I have some free-time, imma try and put some shapes together, colorize it and use a lot of sepia. ;D
You make a valid argument and I appreciate the rigor you put into your design but! I have to voat that this as the ugliest flag ever! When I first saw it I reddit as layered piles of shit...no offense of course, maybe add some birds and symbols of peace, maybe a waterfall or some tranquillisation shit. Good luck and keep up the good work!
you voat, then you reddit. Unfortunately, you do not digg it.
Well, crap, now I see that too. Before I actually really liked that color palette. I will consider how I might use shape to mitigate that effect.
So this stuck with me for a few days and I think that I'm turned off by the reference to skin color. However, I would love if the racial equality movement caught a little more fire and I'm sure a flag to rally about would help. I think that a flag that references Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech would be awesome, perhaps with mountainsides somehow. I have no design skills whatever, but the idea of everyone changing their Facebook profile photos to a symbol of mountains and a status update of "Let it ring" would be awesome. Sure it's "armchair activism" but it's also cultural change and that leads places.