Dezeen Magazine

45 designers create flags to "celebrate the independent spirit of Bankside" at London Design Festival

Flags by designers including Morag Myerscough, James Joyce, Alan Kitching and Supermundane will fly during this year's London Design Festival, to showcase the creativity of the Bankside Design District.

Located on the south side of the River Thames, Bankside is one of 11 design districts for London Design Festival 2018.

To help it stand out from the rest, the area's business improvement body Better Bankside teamed up with creative agency NB Studio, commissioning 45 designers to create flags that "celebrate the independent spirit of Bankside".

Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
James Joyce's design features a red zig-zag against a black and white backdrop

Louise Sloper, Michael Wolff, Nick Finney, Alec Doherty and Wilfrid Wood are among the artists and designers that have created flags.

Other names involved include Pentagram, Johnson Banks, Studio Sutherland, Hat Trick, Superunion, GBH, Proximity and Atlas.

Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
Jack Renwick Studio combined a Jolly Roger motif with a raised "fist of rebellion"

Supermundane's design features an interpretation of a skull and crossbones, with vivid accents of pink, blue and green, on a yellow background.

In a similar vein, a design by Jack Renwick Studio combines a Jolly Roger motif with a raised "fist of rebellion" – a reference to a scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
Alan Kitching's flag is made up of the words "River Thames" in capital letters, in a blue and green screen-printed finish

Typographer Alan Kitching's flag is made up of the words "River Thames" in capital letters, in a blue and green screen-printed finish. Below it are names of famous buildings on Bankside, including Shakespeare's Globe theatre.

Meanwhile, a design by illustrator Alice Bowsher features black and white sketched symbols of Bankside: animals, musical instruments, paintbrushes and food on a pink background.

Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
Alice Bowsher sketched symbols of Bankside, including animals, musical instruments, paintbrushes and food, onto a pink background

For her flag, illustrator Marion Deuchars seemingly finger-painted an orange fox on a green background, while James Joyce's design features a red zig-zag against a black and white backdrop.

"From the skull and crossbones to the stars and stripes, flags are intrinsic to both identity and place. So what better way to declare The Independent State of Bankside than an exhibition of flags at London’s most renowned festival of design and creativity?" said NB Studio.

Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
Illustrator Marion Deuchars seemingly finger-painted an orange fox on a green background for her flag

Each designer was given just two weeks to create their flag. They will fly over Borough Market from 15 to 23 September, the duration of London Design Festival, as part of an exhibition titled London's Other Side.

Once the festival is over, the flags will be distributed to local businesses, but one will being chosen to represent the area as Bankside's official emblem.

A copy of each flag will also be sold in an online auction, with proceeds going to three local charities.

Other flags created recently by designers include a series of seven commissioned by IKEA innovation lab Space10, for an exhibition titled Martian Flag Assembly.

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Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival
Flags by 45 designers to fly by the Thames for London Design Festival