Category: The Cook County Sunrise Flag

Leo Angelini

Posted on by Liz Polmanski

Leo Angelini

Oak Park and River Forest High School
he/him/his

  • Cook County Sunrise

Student Design: The Cook County Sunrise Flag

  1. How does the flag you designed represent who you are and what you care about? 
    This flag represents the unique makeup of Chicago, and showcases its beauty and strength. I wanted to create something that was a symbol of unity, since Chicago is a part of my life and millions of others.
  2. Why did you decide to join the Flag 2021 competition?
    I decided to join the contest as an assignment for my design club. However, I only accepted the task because I thought it would be so cool to design the official Cook County flag.
  3. What did you learn about Cook County that surprised you?
    I learned cook county has a lot of commissioners.
  4. Tell us a short story about your collaboration with your flag mentor/partner(s). 
    Working with my mentor was always interesting and engaging. He created a billion ideas off of my original design, that we somehow had to simplify into a worthy flag. Even the smallest details, like the specific hue of the shapes, was constantly up for debate.

Cook County Sunrise Flag

Posted on by Liz Polmanski

About the Cook County Sunrise Flag

  • Cook County Sunrise – Final Student Design
  • Cook County – Original Student Submission

My flag design is inspired by the classic City of Chicago flag, given the significant role that the city plays in Cook County. However, instead of Chicago blue, I’ve opted for a teal color. The teal represents all the nature found in Cook County – a literal color combination of the lake, rivers, forest preserves and sky. Its dominant position at the top of the design represents how the County has assigned greater priority to its care over the years and the steps towards becoming more green as a region.

The white triangle field represents the land of Cook County. The white border surrounding both fields denotes the administrative nature that the county serves.

The red star is clearly a nod to the City and what Cook County is inextricably known for, but also symbolizes the sun as it rises above the environment and its people, signifying a new day and positivity. The six points represent the six geographic regions of Cook County: Chicago, North, Northwest, West, South and Southwest.

Finally, the diagonal nature of the design denotes the energy and dynamism of the county and its influence on the region. 

Dave Straus

Vice President of Sales & Marketing Chicago American Manufacturing LLC

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