For many scientific minds mankind’s encounter of extraterrestrial life is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. So when that day comes won’t we need a flag – a universal symbol to unify our great blue planet and all of the things that exist on it – to represent us?
One graphic design student from Sweden thinks so.
For his graduation project Oskar Pernefeldt of Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, Sweden has mocked up a proposal for the International Flag of Planet Earth – a symbol that is hoped would characterise humanity during intergalactic expeditions.
The official design of the flag shows seven white rings in the form of a flower which the artist has included as the “symbol of the life on Earth” which can be seen on the Flag of Planet Earth website.
The rings are all entwined with one another – much like those on the Olympic flag – and their union is intended to represent how everything on our planet is “directly or indirectly” linked.
The flower sits on a blue or “azure” field which is symbolic of water which the designer says “is essential for life – also as the oceans cover most of our planet’s surface.”
Mr Pernefeldt has also envisioned how the flag would look planted on the surface of Mars upon humankind’s arrival on the red plant and suggests that it should be included on the suits of international astronauts as they are “more than just representatives of their own countries. They are representatives of planet Earth.”
While this is not the first time someone has tried to come up with a flag for the planet it is a good projection into the future where highly skilled interplanetary sporting events might just call for the need of such a symbol.
