September 2022

Patch: New Cook County Flag Designed By GBS Student Raised for First Time

by Eric DeGrechie

COOK COUNTY, IL — Saying that coming up with the design was not easy, Andrew Duffy is proud to see the flag he created for Cook County now waving above Daley Plaza in Chicago. A ceremony officially unveiling the Glenbrook South student’s “I Will” banner was held Saturday, according to a news release from the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

“Creating a flag to represent the over five million residents of Cook County and their unique communities was not a simple task,” Duffy said. “I went through countless different symbols and colors to find the right design for the ‘I Will’ flag. I am incredibly honored to have been chosen as the winner and hope the people of Cook County enjoy seeing their new flag.”

Earlier this year, Duffy’s flag beat out six other finalists and nearly 300 submissions for the honor. Duffy, who was mentored by Cook County Bureau of Administration Graphic Designer Martin Burciaga, designed a flag that “shows through color, shape, and symbolism the importance of the County’s waterways, the beauty of its natural lands, the innovation and commerce of its residents, and its core belief in social justice.”

Calling the event “historic,” the Cook County Board of Commissioners said the raising of the new flag will coincide with the county’s upcoming 200th anniversary year.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to have led this historic redesign of the new flag for the nation’s second largest county,” said Cook County Commissioner and Flag Advisory Panel Co-Chair Scott Britton. “The process empowered students from every corner of the County to creatively visualize the very best of what we represent. The new ‘I Will’ flag will wave for the first time for the social justice, innovation, natural resources, and history that the County represents.”

The search for the emblem began in December 2019, according to the news release. On Flag Day 2022, the Cook County Board of Commissioners met in the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee to vote for “I Will” as the new flag for Cook County.

New Cook County flag raised at Daley Plaza ceremony

by Christian Piekos

CHICAGO (WLS) — For years, the Cook County flag was considered by flag enthusiasts to be a bit of a dud – known in the flag world by the derogatory acronym SOB: seal on a bedsheet.

That all changed in June with the “big reveal” of a new county flag that was the result of a design contest that was open to students from the county’s 500-plus high schools.

County leaders celebrated the flag raising Saturday afternoon at Daley Plaza. The new flag replaced the county’s old design which came out in 1961.

The winning design came from Drew Duffy, a senior at Glenbrook South High School.

“I am honored and humbled to have been a part of this remarkable redesign process,” Duffy said. “I hope everyone in Cook County now sees themselves represented in the ‘I Will’ flag.”

“I did not think my design would be flying over Daley Plaza,” Duffy said.

The “I Will” flag represents Cook County’s lands, culture, history and inclusivity.

One of the center points of the brand new Cook County flag is the ‘Y’ created by the Chicago River at Wolf Point. Its green outline symbolizes riverbanks, nature and the county’s forest preserves.

Six red stars on the flag symbolize the founding of Cook County, founding of Cook County Health, founding of Cook County Department of Public Health, founding of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, and the importance of townships and local government. And the color of the stars represents the color of social change.

“This one, I think better represents the diversity of the county and what we are so proud of,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

It was important that the flag meet vexillological standards (vexillology is the study of flags), namely that the design be simple, meaningful and easy to remember, with only a few colors and no words.

A total of 297 different flag designs were submitted by students from 40 high schools.