I’ve seen some interesting imagery and symbolism coming out of the protests in Hong Kong and wanted to dig into it a little bit. I think it’s interesting how design is being used, either deliberately or not, to help the people of Hong Kong communicate to the rest of the world. First, let’s take a look at the flag of Hong Kong:
1. The flag of Hong Kong
A simple, white, illustrated version of the Hong Kong Orchid Tree sits in the middle of a red field. The color is worth noting here, in Chinese culture red represents vitality, celebration and fertility. It’s often worn by brides in China because of this underlying meaning. A stark contrast to how we see red here in the states…
2. Protest flag
Ah, this new interpretation is too good. This makes the contrast and representation in black a much more powerful statement. Black is a sign not only of decay & death but of sorrow. You can see the orchid has begun to wilt and the stars are gone… Even knowing that it’s a flower adds some context you might not have been aware of but I’m moved (and I think many are) by the imagery.
3. Social Media Campaign
A grass roots campaign started by a diverse group of “Hongkongers” designed the logo for this social media campaign that made shockwave from the NBA controversy. They’ve described the mark themselves as follows:
“The logo consists of the Chinese character for “person/people (人)”, repeated five times and converging from around the globe on one place — Hong Kong.
The number five represents the five key demands made by protesters in June 2019. The form resembles the shape of an opened umbrella, a well-known symbol of the democracy movement. The logo also brings to mind the bauhinia, a flower native to Hong Kong and its official symbol.”
4. A message to America
The symbolism of this image struck me pretty hard when I saw it. In Hong Kong’s fight for freedom they’ve chosen to use our flag as a symbol for what they’re looking for. It’s a lesson worth remembering when we think we have it bad here there are literally people who would die to be in our position.
