What is this crazy flag?
November 19, 2009 2:07 PM Subscribe
What crazy flag is this?
I don't recognize the flag, but the names of some of the elements might help in your search: The medical staff is more properly known as a caduceus and the cross symbol is a cross pattée.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:31 PM on November 19, 2009
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 2:31 PM on November 19, 2009
You know, I was thinking from the features that it might be a flag for a veterinary school. (the caduceus, the book, illustrating learning, the animal.....)
I really am curious about the answer to this....
posted by anitanita at 2:34 PM on November 19, 2009
I really am curious about the answer to this....
posted by anitanita at 2:34 PM on November 19, 2009
I was going for Dutch Royal Medical Corps myself. But I can't prove this.
posted by rokusan at 2:37 PM on November 19, 2009
posted by rokusan at 2:37 PM on November 19, 2009
Are you sure it's a flag? I'm thinking it might be a bookplate, what with the book and all.
posted by trip and a half at 2:40 PM on November 19, 2009
posted by trip and a half at 2:40 PM on November 19, 2009
It will be connected to a hospital or medical facility probably called St Luke's - the bull is his evangelist symbol and he was traditionally the patron saint of doctors. You also have the caduceus, also a medical symbol. At a guess, it might be a Catholic institution.
posted by Flitcraft at 2:40 PM on November 19, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by Flitcraft at 2:40 PM on November 19, 2009 [7 favorites]
Looks like the file was edited in PhotoShop today. Where did you find it, and does the original file or filename (in case you edited it yourself) provide any additional clues?
posted by effbot at 2:42 PM on November 19, 2009
posted by effbot at 2:42 PM on November 19, 2009
Response by poster: It will be connected to a hospital or medical facility probably called St Luke's
Yes, I should have included this datum, because that is absolutely right. I basically have to re-create this in Illustrator in the next 16 hours and everyone associated with the project is out of touch or went home. Being lazy, and thinking that somewhere there is surely an SVG or EPS or PDF of this flag, I am looking for its origin or name. I'm genuinely impressed, Flitcraft.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:44 PM on November 19, 2009
Yes, I should have included this datum, because that is absolutely right. I basically have to re-create this in Illustrator in the next 16 hours and everyone associated with the project is out of touch or went home. Being lazy, and thinking that somewhere there is surely an SVG or EPS or PDF of this flag, I am looking for its origin or name. I'm genuinely impressed, Flitcraft.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:44 PM on November 19, 2009
Well, the staff is a caduceus, which is often symbolic of trade or commerce, though its similarity to the Rod of Asclepius has led to associations with medicine.
Windmill sails like the ones on the flag are common in coats of arms related to New York. See here and here. They're a common element in Dutch heraldry as well, though usually as a whole windmill rather than just the sails.
It's not by any chance the personal charge of a member of the SCA, is it? It doesn't appear to match any of the ones registered in the Armorial, though.
The Seal of the Utah College of Dental Hygiene is the only symbol I could find that uses a caduceus and a windmill.
posted by jedicus at 2:45 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Windmill sails like the ones on the flag are common in coats of arms related to New York. See here and here. They're a common element in Dutch heraldry as well, though usually as a whole windmill rather than just the sails.
It's not by any chance the personal charge of a member of the SCA, is it? It doesn't appear to match any of the ones registered in the Armorial, though.
The Seal of the Utah College of Dental Hygiene is the only symbol I could find that uses a caduceus and a windmill.
posted by jedicus at 2:45 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Ah, well, why didn't you say you needed a vector version. Run it through Vector Magic. I've had good results when working with clean images like this one. You can get two free conversions through the online version, and it'll give you svg, eps, or pdf.
posted by jedicus at 2:47 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jedicus at 2:47 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, jedicus, but I do my conversions by hand if I can't find the original - even VM has issues with 90 degree angles and such.
Looks like I get to take work home with me tonight. Awesome answers so far, though.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:58 PM on November 19, 2009
Looks like I get to take work home with me tonight. Awesome answers so far, though.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:58 PM on November 19, 2009
vector magic, hell. select the color units as needed in PS, convert selection to workpath, copy, paste into Illustrator, clean up as needed. but you knew that already.
posted by mwhybark at 3:17 PM on November 19, 2009
posted by mwhybark at 3:17 PM on November 19, 2009
Also, see here. dunno if it's in there, but hey! flag search!
posted by mwhybark at 3:27 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by mwhybark at 3:27 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Man, that's 20 minutes with Illustrator. I think I burned more time than that Googling for it. :)
posted by rokusan at 4:15 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by rokusan at 4:15 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'm pretty anal retentive, rokusan. I need everything perfect. Circles and ellipses must have only four nodes! Each nodes and its handles must be perpendicular to its neighbor ninety degrees away! LiveTrace and Vector Magic won't cut it! Twenty minutes with the fox/bull thing is only enough to lovingly render one eyeball!
Still wanna know what the hell this is a flag of, though.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 7:36 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Still wanna know what the hell this is a flag of, though.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 7:36 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
I would also hand-draw it in Illustrator, Optimus, with the big bitmap underneath as a guide. I agree that's the only way, and the auto-tracing options aren't the right way to do an important file like that, which I bet will be used and resized many times in future. You want a perfect reference copy, I think.
But it's still only twenty minutes! :)
posted by rokusan at 4:10 PM on November 20, 2009
But it's still only twenty minutes! :)
posted by rokusan at 4:10 PM on November 20, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:25 PM on November 19, 2009 [5 favorites]