Limiting the campaign to Mad Pride Toronto: An update…

So some other local (Torontonian) Mad Pridesters and I think it’s best to limit this flag campaign to our fair city, and if people elsewhere wish to adopt the same flag, well, that’s just dandy.  Colours can mean different things to different political and/or ethnic groups, and there’s no pleasing everyone, so placing limits is probably best, so that not everyone around the world has to agree with what is decided on, because that is simply impossible.

It was also suggested that entries be drafted in time for Mad Pride Toronto 2012 (in July), and that there be a vote-in, to decide which design is most appropriate/ appreciated.  This is not a definite plan just yet, but it could be moved forward in the next little while.

I welcome people of other countries/regions to continue to share their ideas/designs, but keep in mind that it’s looking more and more like the final decision for the Toronto Mad Pride flag will be in… Toronto.

Happy flagging!

-Saraƒin

 

Screw it – I’m keeping it simple!

I decided to scrap the cat face altogether, and keep the Cheshire Cat reference implied with the stripes themselves.  But I was thinking of doing some drawings of the cat itself, Louis Wain style, to have as art for buttons or whatever.

This simple design could be used in articles of clothing, like socks, sweaters, and leg warmers, just like how the rainbow flag has been used. Here are some fun examples I found on the web:

For now anyway, the stripes alone are my final design.

As always, this is open for further entries, and of course feedback!

-Saraƒin

New take on Cheshire Cat flag (de-Disneyfied…)

So, this is a prototype:

Enough people said they thought it was best to remove the Disneyfied Cheshire Cat face, which I agreed with wholeheartedly.  The stripe colours stay with this design (most people agree this colour scheme is more attractive than the yellows, reds and blacks, which were rather harsh).  The face here was quickly done in Photoshop with the shape tools.  Again, don’t consider this anything more than another idea, for now.

So… what do you like about it?  What would you change?  How would you change the cat face, or the reference?  Should we just be going with the coloured stripes, with no cat features, or would that on its own be too obscure?

Feedback, please!  I’ll love you forever! 

-Saraƒin

Update: Sorry about the delay!

I’ve been extremely busy lately, what with the holidays, my other projects, and my job.  But I wanted to make a quick update on this site so that no one thought the project had been abandoned.

It seems that the Cheshire Cat stripes design has been the most popular (that I’m aware of).  It has also been suggested (and I was thinking the same) that the Disney motif of the eyes and smile be dropped, in favour of an alternative Cheshire Cat facial features design.  I agree wholeheartedly with the idea… I just haven’t gotten around to coming up with an updated design yet.  (I continually invite others to submit their designs as well.)

I hope everyone had a happy holidays, and that you’re all in for a great New Year’s!  (I’ll be working that night… *grumbles*)

-Saraƒin

Cheshire Cat design updates, and other ideas…

Here are two more takes on the Cheshire Cat design idea: one with whiskers, and the other without.  Not sure which would be best – while the first looks more like the face of the Cat, the second is cleaner looking as a design.

Val Resh suggested use of Edward Munch’s “The Scream”, which has long been associated with madness.  (I know that Mad Pridester Dolly Sen has dressed as The Scream during one of her performances, for example: http://www.dollysen.com/collaborate.htm

Wundernutbar sent me this image: a Happy & Sad theatre mask-inspired Yin Yang.

More to come!

-Saraƒin

Cheshire Cat flag colour edit…

I later noticed that the colours for the first version of this flag were incorrect, as the picture of the Disney Cheshire Cat I took them from was of the wrong hues.  So, here’s another take on the colours.  (I will probably also have at least one other version, with a different expression from the Cat itself.)

-Saraƒin

Inspired by the Cheshire Cat…

That last entry had me thinking that the Cheshire Cat might not be the worst idea for a design.  I was inspired by the stripes on the Cat’s body (from Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the original) and made a Pride-style flag with them.  Then, I Photoshopped the grin, eyes, and nose of the cat into the corner.  (Perhaps this is not the best capture of the Cat’s expression?)  Anyway, this is a much more playful idea for a Mad Pride flag than my previous efforts.  What do you think?

(I don’t think this would lead to any copyright issues with Disney, if it’s used in this context.  The other consideration I had was adding a Louis Wain-style cat instead.)

-Saraƒin

New flag design, sent in by Katherine…

Hello – and sorry for the delay between the updates!

This flag design was sent in by Katherine, and is called “Synaptic Kitty”.  (Funny, one idea that kept coming to my mind was incorporating the Cheshire Cat’s smile somehow!)

Please continue to submit your designs to this blog.  I will try to update this regularly with new designs and information.

-Saraƒin

Incorporating the Mad Anarchy symbol with the first design…

I vectorized the “Mad Pride Anarchy” symbol in Illustrator and placed it on the flag with the original colour scheme.  We of course don’t have to use this scheme, but I figured I’d post it to give the aesthetic a test.  (This looks less like the flag of a country and more like one of a movement, I think.)

-Saraƒin

Wundernutbar’s flag designs & blogger Zoe Kessler’s articles on the campiagn…

Wundernutbar is somewhat of a partner-in-crime of mine, and was the first to get involved in this idea with me.  Please have a look at this post he made regarding this campaign:

http://wundernutbar.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/mad-pride-flag-campaign-and-some-ideas/

Also, blogger Zoe Kessler has made two blog entries:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/adhd-zoe/2011/11/waving-the-mad-pride-flag-part-i/#more-6388

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/adhd-zoe/2011/11/waving-the-mad-pride-flag-part-ii/

Stay tuned for more!

-Saraƒin