The Crossroads of Growth celebrates Ames’ geographic significance at the center of Iowa, its status as a center-point of innovation and hospitality, and the beauty and abundance of its landscape and people.
This flag represents all who live in Ames, from college students who’ve traveled from afar to families with deep roots in the city. It honors Ames’ beginnings while celebrating the ideals of progress and innovation.
In undertaking the challenge to redesign the Ames flag, I conducted research on the history and background of the city, as well as the demographics and unique features.
After researching, I made several sketches reflecting the ideals and values of Ames.
I then vectorized each of the best designs.
Next. I refined the designs, making additional variations of the top three flags.
After refinement, I settled on three final designs.
The final design I settled on is the Crossroads of Growth. The composition is simple, yet distinctive. The striking colors portray the beauty of Ames’ landscape -- contrasting shapes provide balance and visual interest.
The swapped colors create greater contrast, and the larger, rounder star shape provides more visual clarity. In this design the centrally aligned blue stripes maintain balance between the yellow and green, and the dotted line creates a visual continuation of the circle while promoting the idea of openness.
The crisscrossing blue bands portray US 30 and I-35, which symbolize the diverse backgrounds of all who find themselves drawn to Ames.
The symbol of the cloverleaf represents the cloverleaf interchange on the edge of town, which places Ames at the geographical center of Iowa.
The open circle represents the open boundaries of city, which welcomes visitors with characteristic hospitality, and the openness to new ideas and innovation.
The color blue symbolizes the historically significant Skunk River and Iowa Creek, and Ames’ highly regarded tap water.
The yellow fields represent the abundant harvest surrounding Ames. It honors the older residents and families with deep roots in the community and symbolizes tradition, success, and the cheerful personality of Ames residents.
The green fields portray Ames’ spring landscape of new growth, which symbolizes the ideals of progress and revitalization upheld by the next generation.
