Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right, a special commission decided Tuesday as it picked a replacement for an older design that many Native Americans considered offensive.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission chose the final version on an 11-1 vote after finalizing a new state seal that depicts a loon, the state bird. Unless the Legislature rejects them, the new flag and seal will automatically become official April 1, 2024, when Minnesota observes Statehood Day.

The star echoes Minnesota’s state motto of “Star of the North.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said that to him, the light blue represents the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star. But he acknowledged it could mean other things to other people. Symmetry and simplicity won out over other versions, including ones that included a green stripe for the state’s agricultural heritage.

  • @chitak166
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    211 months ago

    They were both good, but I think they made the more-refined “high-brow” decision by going with fewer colors.

    I’m actually jealous of this flag. Only downside is it’s kind of hard to see against the blue sky, lol.

    • @Glemek
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      111 months ago

      I think the 2 tones of blue make it look more like a basic corporate design than “high-brow”

      • @chitak166
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        -211 months ago

        Do you like places with stickers everywhere?

        • @Glemek
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          211 months ago

          Not particularly, but I’m also not bothered by the presence of more than one color.