Category: In The Press

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.

Block Club Chicago: Cook County’s Got A New Flag That Represents Social Change, Natural Areas

by Kelly Bauer

CHICAGO — Cook County’s officials picked a new design for its flag, opting for one that pays tribute to the area’s waterways and social justice policies.

The flag was designed by Andrew Duffy, a student at suburban Glenbrook South High School, as part of a competition among Cook County residents, according to a county news release. The county’s commissioners then met Tuesday — which was Flag Day — to decide which design to pick.

Duffy’s winning design features six red stars and a sideways “Y” in green and blue on a white background.

The stars have seven points to represent the regions of the county, the city of Chicago and the forest preserves, and they are in red to signal social change. The “Y” in green and blue represents Cook County’s waterways, lands and riverbanks. The white background is a “blank canvas … for the innovation to come,” according to the county.

The six stars represent “foundational moments” for Cook County:

• The founding of Cook County in 1831.
• The founding of Cook County Health hospitals Stroger and Provident in 1832 and 1891.
• The founding of the Cook County Department of Public Health.
• The founding of the Forest Preserves in 1914.
• The founding of the Arthur J. Audy Home in 1899.
• A tribute to local governments that form the county.

ABC7 Chicago: New Cook County flag revealed after contest for HS students

by Sun-Times Media Wire

CHICAGO — 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 Tuesday 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.

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

A Y shape that symbolizes the Chicago River’s split at Wolf Point anchors the new flag. 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.

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.

An appointed flag advisory panel narrowed the selection to six flags in March. The panel is made up of historians, Cook County Board commissioners, museum directors and other high-level county officials.

Finalists were paired with volunteer mentors that are professional designers. They helped refine and formalize the students’ designs.

The new flag will replace the current bland flag, which was designed in 1961.

The search for a new flag began in December 2019 as a global pandemic was starting across the globe, and the selection process has been delayed several times because of statewide shutdowns.

“I’ve always found flags really interesting,” Duffy, 17, said during a phone chat Tuesday.

“I was obsessed with a book about world flags my mom got for me when I was little. The world was shut down when I designed this flag, and it became a passion project.”

The effort to redo the flag was spearheaded by Commissioner Scott Britton of Glenview and Cook County historian Matthew DeLeon.

“I could not be more excited,” Britton said Tuesday.

The new flag will first be raised later this summer in a ceremony at Daley Plaza.

Chicago Tribune: Cook County unveils new flag designed by high school student and inspired by 1893 World’s Fair goddess statue

by A.D. Quig

After more than a half-century of having a flag that was often deemed forgettable, Cook County is getting a new banner that features a cleaner layout that plays up the county’s history.

County officials on Tuesday unveiled their pick for the county’s new flag, which was announced on national Flag Day and is known as the “I Will Banner.”

Createdby Glenbrook South High School student Drew Duffy, the new flag features a circle of seven-sided red stars on the left and a sideways blue, green and white Y-shaped stripe to the right. The blue symbolizes the county’s rivers and Lake Michigan, green is for the county’s nature and forest preserves, and white — the color of locomotive steam — represents innovation and commerce.

The Y shape pays homage to the merging of the branches of the Chicago River at Wolf Point downtown and mirrors the city’s municipal device, Duffy said.

The flag’s name comes from a statue designed by artist Charles Holloway for the 1893 Columbian Exposition of a goddess figure suited for battle with a breastplate that read “I Will.” The name “embraces the fighting spirit and go-getter attitude of the people of Cook County,” according to the flag’s description.

The six stars are each seven-pointed to represent each county region, plus Chicago and the forest preserves. There are six stars to represent the county’s founding in 1831; the opening of its flagship hospitals; the department of public health; forest preserves; the Arthur J. Audy home for juvenile detainees; and the county’s townships and local governments.

The stars’ red color, Duffy said, is to represent the county’s bold history of “protest and progress,” including Martin Luther King Jr.’s fights for equal housing and workers’ rights in Chicago, Jane Addams’ founding of Hull House, and the Jewish residents of Skokie pushing back against Nazi protests.

The current flag, raised for the first time over the county building on June 13, 1961, has a white background with the words “Cook County” in red above and below a center seal. In the middle is a gold county map surrounded by two blue circles with 39 gold stars. The stars represent the county’s 38 townships with one slightly larger star representing the city of Chicago. That design violates what the North American Vexillological Association considers a compelling flag: easy to remember with meaningful symbolism, only a few colors and no lettering or seals.

Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton, a flag enthusiast and NAVA member who headed up the county’s selection committee, described the current map as a “seal on a bedsheet, an S.O.B. It’s not visually arresting.”

The 1961 flag was drawn up by county bureaucrats, including the county’s public relations director, then-Treasurer Francis Lorenz and the highway department’s cartographer. This time, the county invited high school students to submit designs to be judged by an advisory panel.

The county received 297 submissions after its call for a new flag in late 2019. Those were narrowed down to 23 by the panel. Semifinalists were paired with mentors to refine their submissions, which were then winnowed down to six finalists this past March.

Duffy’s design started out as a pen and ink drawing and was sharpened with the help of mentor Martin Burciaga, a graphic designer in the county’s Bureau of Administration. The 17-year-old Duffy has had a love of flags since he was a child, and said he beefed up the “I Will” flag’s symbolism with help from former urban history teachers at Glenbrook South.

“You don’t need to put words on a piece of art on a flag to show what it means because we have so many amazing symbols already,” he said.

“I Will” got the plurality of votes from the selection committee after some passionate debate, Britton said. Board President Toni Preckwinkle agreed with the final pick.

A County Board committee approved a resolution announcing the selection Tuesday. A flag-raising ceremony at Daley Plaza is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Daily Herald: On Flag Day, Cook County committee chooses new banner designed by Glenbrook South student

by Christopher Placek

A flag designed by a Glenbrook South High School student has been tabbed to become the new banner of Cook County, county commissioners decided Tuesday.

The selection of Drew Duffy’s “I Will” flag by unanimous vote of the county board’s legislation and intergovernmental relations committee is the culmination of a nearly three-year process centered on a high school student art competition that sought ideas for a new county flag.

The committee’s decision Tuesday afternoon — on Flag Day — comes 61 years and a day after the old county flag was raised over the County Building for the first time. The outgoing flag is the county seal — depicting a map of the county’s 30 townships and January 1831 founding — on a blank white background with the name “Cook County” surrounding it.

The new flag, which is pending formal approval at the full county board meeting Thursday, uses colors, shapes and symbols to represent the geography, history and mission of Cook County.

Its central symbol is a sideways Y shape that hearkens back to the so-called original Municipal Device of Chicago — seen on buildings throughout the city, such as on the Chicago Theatre marquee, and in the Chicago Public Library’s symbol. Similar to the city’s Y shape that dates to 1917, the symbol on the new county flag represents the confluence of the North, South and main branches of the Chicago River at Wolf Point. But in the county’s case, the horizontal Y also represents other regional rivers, such as the Des Plaines River to the north, and Grand Calumet River to the south.

On the left of the banner is a grouping of six red stars representing foundational moments of the county: its founding in 1831; the founding of Stroger and Provident hospitals in 1832 and 1891, respectively; the Department of Public Health; the Forest Preserves in 1914; the Arthur J. Audy juvenile detention home in 1899; and an ode to townships and local governments that make up the county (formerly represented by a circle of 30 stars on the old flag).

The Y shape utilizes blue to symbolize the county’s waterways and is bordered by green stripes for its preserved lands and riverbanks. The red used in the stars symbolizes social change, and the flag’s blank white canvas represents the innovation to come, officials said.

“There is geographic representation. There’s historical representation. And it’s not something that’s limited,” said Matthew DeLeon, the county’s historian who co-chaired the advisory panel that guided the flag redesign selection process. “This is going to be a living, breathing historic document and artifact in many ways.”

Commissioner Scott Britton, the other co-chair, championed the flag redesign effort that formally launched in December 2019 by board resolution. He’s a member of the North American Vexillological Association, which deals in the scientific study of flags.

“Often I’ve said to people, ‘You know, we can do more than one thing at a time.’ We do deal with very complicated and important issues, but sometimes we also have to look at the symbolism as to what we do as a county,” the Glenview Democrat said at the committee meeting Tuesday. “The ‘I Will’ flag represents all that we are, and all that we will be.”

The process started at the onset of the pandemic when the flag advisory panel reached out to the 550 high schools and other educational entities in the county. In total, 297 submissions — including hand-drawn, digitally-designed, and even a physical flag — were sent by students from 40 schools. The list was narrowed to 23 semifinalists, and six finalists.

Duffy, whose original sketch was marker on paper, got help refining the design from Martin Burciaga, a graphic designer in the Cook County Bureau of Administration.

“The entire flag design process, from the first rough draft to the final committee meetings, has been an amazing, educational and fun experience,” Duffy, his school’s incoming student body president, said in a statement released by the county. “I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me create my design.”

A public ceremony to raise the new flag is planned for late summer in Daley Plaza.

Crain’s: Cook County to raise new flag designed by student

by Justin Laurence

If you’re one of the many Chicagoans with a tattoo of the city’s iconic flag, you may need to open up space on your other arm for a redesigned Cook County banner.

Cook County commissioners unanimously approved a new flag in committee on Tuesday—on Flag Day, no less—designed by Glenbrook South High School student Andrew Duffy, teeing up final approval at Thursday’s Board of Commissioners meeting.

Duffy’s flag, dubbed “I Will,” will replace the current bare-bones design, created more than half a century ago, that features a white canvas with the words “Cook County” surrounding a county seal.

The winning design was selected from a group of six finalists chosen from a pool of almost 300 submissions from high school students from across the county. It will be officially unveiled at a flag-raising ceremony this summer in Daley Plaza.

After winnowing down the initial submissions to 25 semifinalists, those selected students were paired with mentors from the design community to help hone their ideas and designs. From there, the top six were chosen and voted on by the Board of Commissioners. 

Duffy’s flag features a sideways “Y” symbolizing the regional rivers joining at Wolf Point “while harkening back to the original Municipal Device of Chicago,” according to a press release after the committee vote. Blue is used to symbolize the county’s waterways, green for preserved land and riverbanks, and red for social change; the white canvas represents the county’s future.

Also borrowed from the city’s flag is the use of stars to represent moments in the county’s history. In this case, there are six stars representing the county’s founding, the founding of the county’s two hospitals, the founding of the Cook County Department of Public Health, the Forest Preserves, the Arthur J. Audy home for juvenile and family justice reform, and “an ode” to the townships local governments of the county.

“The entire flag design process, from the first rough draft to the final committee meetings, has been an amazing, educational and fun experience,” Duffy said in the press release. You can read more details about the new flag and the meaning behind the design choices here.

WBBM: Approval expected this week for new Cook County ‘I Will’ flag

by WBBM Newsradio Staff Report

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After a nearly three-year search, Cook County commissioners are expected to approve a new county flag later this week.

The new flag is called the “I Will Banner,” and it was designed by Glenbrook South High School student Drew Duffy.

One of nearly 300 submissions from students around the county, the proposed flag features green and blue stripes, a white background and red stars.

County Commissioner Scott Britton says everything on the new flag is symbolic, including the array of six stars. They represent “foundational moments” of Cook County, from its founding to its commitment to providing healthcare.

The search for a new flag began in 2019, but Britton says it was delayed largely by the COVID pandemic.

After passing committee Tuesday, the full Cook County Board is expected to accept the design on Thursday.

WTTW: Cook County’s Forgettable Flag — Yes, It Has One — Is Getting a New Look. Check Out the Finalists

by Patty Wetli

There’s a new flag in town. 

After a nearly three-year process that was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Cook County Board of Commissioners announced Tuesday a winning design in the competition to reimagine the Cook County flag for the 21st century.

Commissioner Scott Britton, who spearheaded the move to redesign the county flag, declared “I Will,” designed by Drew Duffy, a student at Glenbrook South High School, as the final choice of the board’s Flag Advisory Panel.

The decision received unanimous approval from board members. 

“Symbols mean a lot,” said Commissioner Brandon Johnson. “This moment is allowing us to capture who we are and what we want to reflect.” 

The board received nearly 300 submissions to the competition, some hand-drawn, some computer generated. Entrants were whittled down to 23 semi-finalists, Duffy among them, and each was assigned a design mentor to help hone their idea. As he progressed from semi-finalist to finalist, Duffy’s original drawing of a simple royal blue “Y” on its side, facing a red star, gradually transformed into a sophisticated representation of Cook County’s history, geography, diversity and unity.

“It represents all that we are and all that we will be,” Britton said. 

The blue stripes illustrate the importance of water to Cook County, the green stripes symbolize nature and the forest preserves, and the white background of the flag stands for innovation. The red stars pull double duty, their color a nod to social change and their number a reference to foundational moments in the county’s past.  

The previous flag was adopted in 1961 and features an image of the county’s seal sandwiched between the words “Cook” and “County,” all on a white background.

While the old flag may have been appropriate for its time, the new one brings the county into the modern age, commissioners said.

“We need to move forward,” said Commissioner Peter Silvestri, “and the new flag helps us do that.”

A flag-raising ceremony in Daley Plaza could happen as soon as Thursday.

Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County’s new flag is revealed

by Mitch Dudek

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 Tuesday 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.

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

A Y shape that symbolizes the Chicago River’s split at Wolf Point anchors the new flag. 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.

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.

An appointed flag advisory panel narrowed the selection to six flags in March. The panel is made up of historians, Cook County Board commissioners, museum directors and other high-level county officials.

Finalists were paired with volunteer mentors that are professional designers. They helped refine and formalize the students’ designs.

The new flag will replace the current bland flag, which was designed in 1961.

The search for a new flag began in December 2019 as a global pandemic was starting across the globe, and the selection process has been delayed several times because of statewide shutdowns.

“I’ve always found flags really interesting,” Duffy, 17, said during a phone chat Tuesday.

“I was obsessed with a book about world flags my mom got for me when I was little. The world was shut down when I designed this flag, and it became a passion project.”

The effort to redo the flag was spearheaded by Commissioner Scott Britton of Glenview and Cook County historian Matthew DeLeon.

“I could not be more excited,” Britton said Tuesday.

The new flag will first be raised later this summer in a ceremony at Daley Plaza.

Patch: Design By GBS Student Selected For New Cook County Flag

by Eric DeGrechie

COOK COUNTY, IL — The Cook County Board of Commissioners chose a perfect day to announce the winner of its flag contest. On Flag Day, the board selected a design by a Glenbrook South student as the new flag for Cook County.

Andrew Duffy’s “I Will” 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, according to a news release.

“A flag should reflect the people we serve and the places we protect. As we approach Cook County’s bicentennial, we have a new flag to represent this special place and the people that call it home,” President Toni Preckwinkle said. “While there could only be one winner, we’re grateful to all the Cook County youth that put their minds and hearts into their designs. They have all played a special part in making history today.”

The “I Will” flag utilizes blue to symbolize the County’s waterways, green for preserved lands and riverbanks, red for social change, and the blank canvas of white for the innovation to come. The central “Y” shape highlights the regional rivers joining at Wolf Point while harkening back to the original Municipal Device of Chicago. The stars are seven-pointed to represent each County region, the city of Chicago, and the Forest Preserves, which join together to symbolize residents’ unity and a common mission.

There are six stars to represent foundational moments of Cook County including 1) the founding of Cook County in 1831; 2) the founding of Cook County Health Hospitals Stroger and Provident in 1832 and 1891 respectively; 3) the founding of the Cook County Department of Public Health, which remains relevant today through the pandemic vaccination, declaring gun violence as a public health issue, fighting food deserts, and ending health disparities; 4) the founding of the Forest Preserves in 1914, which today remains a critical part of preserving natural lands and offering open space to residents; 5) the founding of the first in the nation the Arthur J. Audy Home in 1899 marking Cook County’s leadership in juvenile and family justice reform; and 6) an ode to townships and local governments that make Cook County and which echoes the 30 stars on the old flag.

“The entire flag design process, from the first rough draft to the final committee meetings, has been an amazing, educational, and fun experience,” Duffy said. “I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me create my design. I am especially thankful for my mentor, Martin Burciaga, for masterfully utilizing his graphic design skills to help take my marker drawn image to a professional-looking final flag that we are both proud of.”

A public flag raising ceremony is planned for late summer in Daley Plaza.

The County’s old flag is the seal — itself a literal depiction of Cook County’s 30 Townships and the date of the County’s founding — on a blank white background with the name of the County surrounding it. That flag was raised over the County Building for the very first time on Tuesday, June 13, 1961, according to the news release.

Cook County approved this new flag during a Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on a day with additional historical significance: Flag Day. As the national day commemorates the approval of the design of the first United States national flag in 1777, Tuesday the County commemorates the approval of the first symbolic County flag.

The flag redesign centered on a high school student competition that provided a catalyst for a hands-on learning experience for students about the history of Cook County and flag design generally, according to the news releae. The Flag Advisory Panel engaged with teachers and administrators at each of the 550 high schools and entities serving high school-aged children throughout Cook County. In total, 297 submissions were received from students from 40 different high schools.

On Thursday, the Board of Commissioners is expected to concur with the recommendation of the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee codifying this change.

To learn more about the flag redesign process, competition, participants, and designs, please visit: www.anewflagforcookcounty.com.

Patch: New Flag Design By GBS Student Selected For Cook County Contest

by Eric DeGrechie

GLENVIEW, IL — A Glenbrook South student is among six finalists to design the next flag for Cook County. Andrew Duff’s design, “I Will Banner,” was chosen from nearly 300 student submissions.

Last week, the Cook County Board of Commissioners narrowed the designs down to six. In celebration and recognition of more than 190 years since the founding of Cook County, commissioners will choose a new flag that they say “is an inclusive representation of Cook County, the rich diversity of its residents, the beauty of its landscape, the innovation of its institutions, and the pride of its history.”

The other top designs were:

• Freedom: Jaime Joshua Fregoso (Ray Graham Training Center)
• Harmony: Alex Tomy (Maine East H.S.)
• New Century Flag: Tim Mellman (Oak Park H.S. and River Forest H.S.)
• Our Star: Sofia Hogue (Evanston Township H.S.) and Ryan Bradley (Disney II Magnet H.S.)
• Strides for Cook County: Charlye Hunt (Alan Shepard H.S.) and Rayn White (Providence St. Mel)

“As we approach Cook County’s bicentennial, we look forward to presenting a flag that will represent the County for the next 200 years,” President Toni Preckwinkle said. “Our gratitude goes to the Cook County youth that put their minds and hearts into their designs. Their work will serve generations of Cook County residents to come.”

Organizers of the contest said Cook County, the nation’s second-largest county, “is deserving of a modern flag that is not simply a white background, with the County seal, and the title of the County.”

According to the North American Vexillological Association, a flag should be simple and easily memorized, use meaningful symbolism, have two or three basic colors, have no lettering or seals, and should be distinctive while using similarities in other flags to show connections.

“Cook County’s high school students answered our challenge to design a flag for the 21st Century that connects our past and present together,” said Matthew DeLeon, Cook County historian and Flag Panel co-chair. “The unique role Cook County played in the growth and development of the region, the state, and the nation is a story that should be told, and I am confident the Cook County Board will select a flag which will help to do just that.”

The current flag was created in 1961 along with the County seal, which presents Lake Michigan as the nation’s center for trade and transportation, as well as symbols of the government, schools, churches, fine arts, dwellings, business, and industry that comprise the County. The flag does not highlight important aspects of Cook County such as the diversity of residents, the iconic history, the Forest Preserves and many other natural resources, the hospital system, and the role the County plays in criminal justice and social change.

This years-long process began with a high school student competition that yielded nearly 300 flag submissions from every corner of the County. The thoughtful flag designs were representative of Cook County’s history, varied geography, important institutions, and diverse residents. The 297 submissions were then narrowed to the top 25 designs by an appointed Flag Advisory Panel. The 11-member Flag Advisory Panel is comprised of:

• Matthew DeLeon, Cook County Historian and Panel Co-Chair
• Scott Britton, Commissioner and Panel Co-Chair
• Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya
• Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen
• Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore
• Lisa Lee, Director of the National Public Housing Museum and Director of the UIC School of Art & Art History
• Ty McCarthy, City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development Project Coordinator
• Jonathan Meitus, WEBSTER9
• Stephany Rimland, Harper College Professor and Art Department Chair
• Arnold Randall, Forest Preserve District of Cook County Superintendent
• Carl Vogel, Forest Preserve District of Cook County Director of Communications

The designs were scored using a rubric that graded composition, such as colors and design elements, and representation of the County’s mission, history, people, and geography as well as the student’s description and title of their flag. All designs were reviewed without regard for the mode or detail in design – that is, whether it was created in crayon or on a computer. Teams of students were created based on similar aesthetics or symbolic choices.

The 23 semi-finalist teams, made up of 38 students, were paired with professional designer mentors who volunteered to help formalize, refine, and clarify flags. The Flag Advisory Panel then used the same rubric to score these professionalized designs to get the final six submissions presented to the Board of Commissioners. With the advice and consent of the Board of Commissioners, the Flag Advisory Panel and County Board President will select the new flag of Cook County from these final six designs.

During the March 17 Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners were presented with the final six flags for the first time. In December 2019, the Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to create a contest to redesign Cook County’s flag. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition and subsequent process were delayed. Commissioners will discuss the flag designs during the Legislative Committee hearing on the flag redesign during the April Board cycle.

To learn more about the flag redesign process, competition, participants, and designs, visit: www.ANewFlagForCookCounty.com

Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County government rallies to find a new flag design

by CST Editorial Board

The city of Chicago has one of the best-looking municipal flags in the U.S., with everything from tattoos to t-shirts attesting to the greatness of the famed bars and stars design.

The Cook County flag, on the other hand, is a bit of a dog by comparison. Designed in 1961, the flag is essentially the county seal slapped on cloth.

But that’ll likely change soon as county commissioners next month begin the process of picking a new Cook County flag from a field of six finalist designs, each designed by high school students.

“As we approach Cook County’s bicentennial, we look forward to presenting a flag that will represent the county for the next 200 years,” said County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a statement this month announcing the finalists.

We can imagine the grumbling out there: Doesn’t the county have bigger fish to fry than getting a new flag? Of course. (We’d wager there’s some multitasking going on.)

But flags are important parts of a society’s identity. They’re saluted, flown above public buildings, sewn into public employee’s uniforms — even draped over coffins during funeral services.

Given all that, a flag ought to be a good one.

Bold designs

As a whole, the six finalists are colorful, bold and contemporary-looking designs, with no soaring eagles, ungainly shields and crests, or words and mottos — all of which are the usual stuff of flag design.

For instance, one finalist, “Our Star,” takes the six-pointed star of the Chicago flag, renders it white and places it against a field of five yellow, blue and dark blue stripes.

Designers Sofia Hogue of Evanston Township High School and Ryan Bradley of Chicago’s Disney II Magnet High School said the yellow stripe represents the prairie, while the bands of blue and dark blue stand for the county’s rivers and Lake Michigan.

The five stripes also refer to the five regions of Cook County. And the star, of course, is Chicago.

All of the students deserve kudos for their designs. The entries can be seen at anewflagforcookcounty.com

Flags still have value

The current Cook County flag was designed by four county employees — and it shows, we could scoff.

But the county had no previous flag. And the workers at least understood the importance of having one. That purpose still exists today.

“The idea of bringing people together and sort of showing what our commonalities are, and giving a sense of place and purpose to a region,” said Chicago History Museum Vice President John Russick. “I think that still has value.”

Journal & Topics: Glenbrook South, Maine East High School Students Among Finalists To Redesign Cook County’s Flag

by Tom Robb

A Glenbrook South High School student from Glenview and a Maine East High School student from Des Plaines are among six student finalists in a contest that drew 300 entries to redesign Cook County’s flag.

The six finalists are Andrew Duffy of Glenview and Glenbrook South with his design titled “I Will Banner”, Alex Tomy of Des Plaines and Maine East with his flag design titled “Harmony”, Tim Mellman, Oak Park-River Forest High School, with his design titled “New Century Flag”, Jaime Joshua Fregoso of the Ray Graham Training Center with his flag design “Freedom”, Sofia Hogue of Evanston Township High School and Ryan Bradley of Disney II Magnet High School for their design “Our Star”, and Charlye Hunt of Alan Shepard High School and Rayn White of Providence St. Mel for their design “Strides for Cook County”.

The six finalists’ flags were on display in the halls of the county building in downtown Chicago and were recognized by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle during last week’s county board meeting.

Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton (D-14th), whose district includes Glenview, is the co-chair of the flag committee and has been involved with the effort to design a new county flag since 2019. He said the winning flag could be announced by Preckwinkle as soon as next month.

Students submitted initial designs and worked with professional graphic designers to create the flag designs. Many flags feature designs incorporating green for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, blue for the river system, Lake Michigan and for police, and red for the Cook County Hospital System. Some flags also feature stars, including Duffy’s, with either six, seven, or nine points, referring to the regions of Cook County, or in one case, where a six-pointed start was used, as a nod to the city of Chicago.

While Britton did not want to take sides to influence the vote, he praised Duffy and Tomy’s flag designs praising their use of symbolic colors and sense of geography.

“I Will Banner” Cook County Flag finalist designed by Glenbrook South High School student Andrew Duffy of Glenview. Cook County image submitted)

Duffy’s flag shows a circle of six, seven-pointed red stars along with a blue “Y” outlined with green lines on a white background.

Glenbrook High School Student Andrew Duffy of Glenview. Photo submitted)

“The blue stripes illustrate the importance of water to Cook County,” he said. “The green stripes symbolize nature and the forest preserves. The placement of the green stripes depict a riverbank like seen at the Des Plaines River Trail and North Branch Trail.”

“The red star has several important meanings. The seven points of the star represent different parts of Cook County: North, Northwest, West, Southwest, South, the City of Chicago, and the Forest Preserve District. The star brings all the points together, symbolizing our unity and a common mission. The color holds particular significance. Red has historically been the color of social change, something Cook County is no stranger to. Red is strong and bold, as are those who continue to fight for equality,” Duffy said.

White represents innovation and commerce and, Duffy said, “a blank canvas, a freshness of what is yet to come.”

“Harmony” Flag, a finalist in the Cook County Flag design contest by Maine East High School student and Des Plaines resident Alex Tomy. (Cook County photo)

“My flag is named ‘Harmony’ because it is a symbol of peace and unity. The top of the flag is blue to represent the dedicated Cook County police force, our clear blue skies, and Lake Michigan. The bottom half of the flag is colored green to represent Cook County’s forest preserves. The white line in the middle represents the 13 rivers of Cook County and doubles as a tribute to our cold winters filled with snow,” Tomy said.

The semi-circles in the inner middle are the initials of Daniel Cook, the founder of Cook County, (Cook, Daniel: C,D). The semi-circles come together to suggest the shape of a “C” for “Cook County”, Tomy continued.

He concluded, “In the middle, lies a nine-pointed star, to represent the nine regions of the Cook County Forest Preserves. The star is colored orange-red and sampled from the lettering on the current flag.”

Alex Tomy, a Maine East High School student and Des Plaines resident. Photo submitted)

Britton said the county’s current flag, first unfurled in 1961 after the county seal was designed, is simply the county seal with the words “Cook County” on a white background. Britton said that amounts to a “seal on a bedsheet.”

Britton said the Chicago flag is an example of what a flag should be. With no text, that flag uses four red stars to mark four of the most historical events in Chicago’s history, Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933 and 1934. The two blue stripes stand for the Chicago River and Lake Michigan and the three white stripes stand for the north, south, and west sides of the city.

Daily Herald: Duffy, Tomy are finalists in Cook County flag competition

by Dave Oberhelman

Drew Duffy doesn’t consider himself an artist — or a vexillologist — but his flag design may wind up being seen by millions.

The Glenbrook South junior is among six finalists from throughout Cook County in a competition for high school-aged students to create the next county flag.

“The prospect of having my flag flying over Daley Plaza and all over Cook County is just super-amazing to think about,” Duffy said.

Duffy’s design, the “I Will Banner” aided and tweaked by Cook County graphic designer Martin Burciaga, one of the contest’s team of mentors, was among 297 initial submissions representing 40 high schools.

Maine East senior Alex Tomy is another finalist, joining Duffy and students from Oak Park-River Forest, the Ray Graham Training Center and student duos from Evanston and Disney Magnet, and Shepard and Providence-St. Mel.

“I wasn’t expecting to get this far, so it’s very cool to see. I was looking at some of the designs and, honestly, I thought they were better than my entry,” Tomy said.

As with Duffy’s “I Will” flag, Tomy and mentor Denny Liu’s design of Tomy’s “Harmony” flag answered what the 11-member Flag Advisory Panel was seeking.

“The whole purpose of this was to show the diversity and unity of Cook County,” said Cook County 14th District Commissioner Scott Britton, the panel co-chair along with Cook County Historian Matthew DeLeon.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to create the panel and commission design of a new flag on Dec. 19, 2019. The board was looking ahead to the county’s 190th anniversary of its founding on Jan. 15, 2021, as well as its 2031 sesquicentennial.

“The thought was, do it little early,” said Britton, though the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted the timeline.

A flag man since he was a little boy and currently a member of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), which deals in the scientific study of flags, Britton said contestants were schooled in NAVA’s guidance of creating a simple yet distinctive and memorable design using two or three main colors and incorporating aspects of Cook County’s mission and institutions.

The Flag Advisory Panel scored submissions on a rubric that graded composition, elements representing the county’s mission, and students’ description and title of their flag.

The current Cook County flag — its only flag since its 1961 creation — might not grade that highly. It consists of a county shield and the words, “Cook County” on a white field. The contest website, anewflagforcookcounty.com, said vexillologists describe it as “a seal on a bedsheet.”

Duffy and Tomy gave an extraordinary amount of thought to their designs.

Starting with colored pencils at his kitchen table, Duffy’s “I Will” theme emerged after researching Chicago sculptures by Ellsworth Kelly, and by Jacob Henrik Gerhard Fjelde from a Charles Holloway design for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

Incorporating the “Y” common in Chicago signage and representing the “merging of north, south and main branches of the Chicago River at Wolf Point,” Duffy said, his use of symbols, colors and design encompasses facets such as Cook County Forest Preserves, social and political change, and Chicago’s importance to economic development.

After the Flag Advisory Panel culled the contestants to 23 semifinalist teams, they were assigned a design mentor to hone their ideas.

Duffy, a teenage Walter Mitty who is an all-conference wrestler and football player at Glenbrook South, planned a rally that helped retain Glenview’s Fire Station 13, and on March 17 was elected his school’s student body president for 2022-23, doesn’t quite look at himself as an “artist.”

“I think that might be a little bit of an unfair label to the dedicated artists out there, but I’ve always been interested in it,” he said.

It’s closer to Tomy’s wheelhouse as president of Maine East’s Graphic Arts Club and, from among 44,000 qualifiers, runner-up in the 2021 Adobe Certified Associate U.S. National Online Championship.

“I had elements of the police force, elements of medicine, of Chicago since it’s such a major city, the highways, the forest preserves,” Tomy said. “I felt like a lot of things came together to create one nice piece. A lot of cool things were coming in, so I thought I’d name it ‘Harmony.'”

He credited not only the county’s design mentors for their help and inspiration but also his mother, Cisy John, and Maine East career and technical education instructor Andrew Schneider.

Britton said the Cook County Board’s Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee will discuss the final six flags in early April, with board President Toni Preckwinkle announcing the winner in May or June.

“Whoever wins,” Tomy said, “I hope they realize how big an accomplishment it is, because they’re creating something that will last generations.”

CBS Chicago: Cook County announces finalists for new county flag design

CHICAGO (CBS) — Cook County has announced the finalists for a new flag – all designed by high school students.

A plan for a new flag for the county was announced back in December 2019, in celebration of the coming bicentennial anniversary of Cook County in 2031.

The finalists include:

• “Freedom,” by Jaime Fregoso. The flag features white for transparency, blue for the waters of Lake Michigan and the county’s rivers, green for nature and parks, and yellow for the sun and peace.

• “Harmony,” by Alex Tomy. The flag represents peace and unity – with blue for “the dedicated Cook County police force, our clear blue skies, and Lake Michigan,” green for the Cook County forest preserves, a white line for the 13 rivers in Cook County and snowy winters; and semicircles for the initials of Cook County founder Daniel Cook. A nine-pointed star in the middle represents the nine regions of the county forest preserves.

• “I Will Banner,” by Andrew Duffy. The blue stripes represent the importance of water in Cook County in a Y formation to honor the merging of the branches of the Chicago River at Wolf Point. The green stripes represent the forest preserves and line the blue stripes to symbolize a riverbank. The white background represents innovation and commerce. The six six-pointed red stars represent different parts of Cook County.

• “Our Star,” by Sofia Hogue and Ryan Bradley. The yellow stripe represents prairie land, the dark blue Lake Michigan, the light blue Cook County rivers, and the white star the city of Chicago.

• “Strides for Cook County,” by Charlye Hunt and Ryan White. The blue represents Lake Michigan and the green the forest preservers. The half-compass shows the five suburban regions – north, northwest, west, southwest, and south – and the white triangle in its center represents the city of Chicago. The colors are also “a representation of power within a community and how a community should be,” the designers wrote.

• “The New Century Flag,” by Tim Mellman. The wheel on the left represents O’Hare and Midway international airports, the Cook County invention of the Ferris wheel, and the geographic layout of Cook County. The blue vertical stripes represent Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, the Des Plaines River, and the Little Calumet River.

The guidelines for the design context forbade any text, lettering, or numbering or reference to the current Cook County flag, seal, or map. It also suggested a maximum of four colors.

The current Cook County flag was introduced in 1961. It was designed by four county employees and the county treasurer and was introduced by then-Cook County Board President Dan Ryan.

In a 2020 video with County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Matt DeLeon, secretary to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, characterized the flag that has now flown for the past 61 years as “not a particularly inspired design.”

“They basically took the seal of the county and replicated it on the flag and put the words ‘Cook County’ on it, which is standard operating procedure for a lot of flags,” DeLeon said in the video. “But I think one of the things that has developed over time is an appreciation for how a flag can do a lot to represent the history, the geography, the people of a jurisdiction or of a region – and also the mission of that particular government.”

WTTW: Cook County’s Forgettable Flag — Yes, It Has One — Is Getting a New Look. Check Out the Finalists

by Patty Wetli

Chicago’s flag is iconic and ubiquitous, those red stars and blue-and-white stripes emblazoned on everything from t-shirts and shot glasses to wallets and dog leashes.

Cook County’s flag, on the other hand, is … wait, did we even know Cook County had a flag?

In a less than flattering description quoted by the county itself, the emblem is compared to a “seal on a bedsheet” — as in, a simplified version of Cook County’s seal on a white backdrop.

This county standard has flown forlornly beside its snazzier local, state and national counterparts ever since it was adopted back in 1961. But that’s about to change.

Officials announced a re-design competition in 2019, and while the process stalled during the pandemic, it has picked up steam once again.

Six student-led designs have been chosen as finalists, whittled down from 23 semi-finalists, which were themselves plucked from the nearly 300 original submissions. Each semi-finalist was assigned a design mentor to help hone their idea; occasionally students were paired up if their concepts were similar.

The design brief was to create “an inclusive representation of Cook County, the rich diversity of its residents, the beauty of its landscape, the innovation of its institutions, and the pride of its history.”

Guidelines were also shared from the North American Vexillological Association, which notes that a flag should be simple and easily memorized, use meaningful symbolism, have two or three basic colors, have no lettering or seals, and should be distinctive while using similarities in other flags to show connections.

The resulting finalists are bold, strong and inventive.

“As we approach Cook County’s bicentennial, we look forward to presenting a flag that will represent the County for the next 200 years,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in a statement. “Our gratitude goes to the Cook County youth that put their minds and hearts into their designs. Their work will serve generations of Cook County residents to come.”

The winner will be chosen by Preckwinkle and members of the Flag Advisory Panel, with input from the county’s board of commissioners. A decision is expected within the coming months. Here are the finalists:

“Freedom,” by Jaime Fregoso

“Freedom,” designed by Jaime Fregoso, student at Ray Graham Training Center, Chicago. (Cook County Government)

Description: White stands for transparency, blue for water (lakes and rivers), green for nature/parks, and yellow for the sun and peace. The flag is intended to provide a vibrant, uplifting feeling.

---

“Harmony,” Alex Tomy

“Harmony,” designed by Alex Tomy, student at Maine East High School. (Cook County Government)

Description: Blue represents the Cook County police force, clear blue skies and Lake Michigan. Green represents Cook County’s forest preserves. The white line is for the 13 rivers of Cook County and doubles as a tribute to snow-filled winters.

The semi-circles in the center are the initials of Daniel Cook, the founder of Cook County. A star represents the regions of the Cook County Forest Preserves. The star’s color draws on the lettering of the current flag.

---

“I Will,” Andrew Duffy

“I Will,” designed by Andrew Duffy, student at Glenbrook South High School. (Cook County Government)

Description: The blue stripes illustrate the importance of water to Cook County. The green stripes symbolize nature and the forest preserves. The white background of the flag represents innovation and commerce. The seven points of the red stars represent different parts of Cook County: north, northwest, west, southwest, south, Chicago and the Forest Preserve District. The color red has historically been the color of social change. The flag’s name comes from a historic statue, “I Will,” by artist Charles Holloway, who won a contest in 1891 that challenged artists to come up with “a figure typical of Chicago’s spirit.”  

---

“New Century Flag,” Tim Mellman

“New Century,” designed by Tim Mellman, student representing Oak Park and River Forest High School. (Cook County Government)

Description: The flag has two primary components: the wheel and the stripes. The wheel represents three separate aspects of Cook County: O’Hare and Midway, Cook County’s bustling airports; the Ferris Wheel, invented in Cook County; and the geographic layout of Cook County.

The stripes represent the four primary bodies of water in Cook County: Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, the Des Plaines River and the Little Calumet River.

---

“Our Star,” Sofia Hogue and Ryan Bradley

“Our Star,” designed by Sofia Hogue of Evanston Township High School and Ryan Bradley, Disney II Magnet High School in Chicago. (Cook County Government)

Description: The yellow stripe represents the prairie land, our foundation. The dark blue represents Lake Michigan, while the light blue represents the rivers of Cook County. The five stripes in total represent the five regions of Cook County, while the white star represents Chicago.

---

“Strides for Cook County,” Charlye Hunt and Rayn White

“Strides for Cook County,” Charlye Hunt, of Alan Shepard High School in Palos Heights, and Rayn White, from Providence St. Mel in Chicago. (Cook County Government)

Description: The elements of the flag represent Cook County itself, with the blue of Lake Michigan to the east and the green of the Forest Preserves on the land. The half-compass shows the five suburban regions (north, northwest, west, southwest, south) and the white triangle in the center of the compass is Chicago.

The colors are also symbolic: The orange represents encouragement, the blue represents trust, and green represents growth.

WBBM: New Cook County flag close to being chosen

by Brandon Ison

At a Cook County sponsored Ukrainian Flag raising ceremony Thursday in Daley Plaza, county commissioners talked about a brand new Cook County flag that’s on the way.

The Ukrainian flag will fly in Daley Plaza for the next week, but a new flag will soon take the pole reserved for Cook County.

The youth of Cook County were tasked in 2019 to come up with a new design for the county, but the results have been delayed because of the pandemic.

Cook County 14th District Commissioner Scott Britton tells WBBM with nearly 300 submissions by the county’s school children, only six finalist designs now remain from which the flag will be chosen.

“They’re actually now in the County building by the elevators, all six potential flags. We are going to have a meeting in early April of the (Cook) County Board to then give our opinions on the flags and then we will choose a finalist which will be hoisted here at Daley Plaza probably in July,” added Britton.

The six final designs can also be viewed at Anewflagforcookcounty.com.