?>
America’s Visual Hammer
Happy Birthday America! We are celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in the United States today!
I'm also using today to kick-off my new Visual Hammer of the Week series.
It should be no surprise that this week's selection for Visual Hammer of the week is the Flag of the United States of America.
A country is a brand and its flag can become a powerful visual hammer. However not many countries have a strong flag hammer because most of the world's flags are too similar that they can't be identified. Only a handful of flags like the U.S., U.K, Canada, China, Japan and Israel truly stand out.
The biggest mistake of most flags is the use for too many colors. Singular colors like China's and Israel's work best.
The second mistake is not having a unique design or symbol. The unique design of the U.S. flag and the U.K. flag stand out. As does the brilliant Maple Leaf on Canada's.
But getting the design right is only half the job. The best flag hammers also drive a verbal nail into the mind. They say not only who your country is but communicate what it stands for.
The hammer flag of the United States says freedom. This country was built on freedom and we are known around the world as the "land of the free." The United States is a country that believes all people are created equal and deserving of the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Happy Birthday America and congratulations for winning Visual Hammer of the Week.