The proliferation of St. George's flags across England has become a concerning phenomenon that highlights design's capacity to influence political forces in today's polarized world. Design historian Catharine Rossi observes an alarming surge in the display of these red crosses on white backgrounds, appearing on lampposts, in windows, on car antennas, suspended over bridges, and even graffitied onto road markings throughout English towns.
This dramatic increase in flag displays represents a significant shift from the symbol's traditionally limited public presence, which was previously reserved for moments of national celebration such as football matches or royal weddings. Until recently, the St. George's Cross had largely remained absent from public spaces due to its nationalist associations. However, its current widespread appearance signals a troubling transformation in how public spaces are being claimed and politicized.
As a design historian specializing in the politics of architecture and design, Rossi acknowledges the St. George's Cross as remarkably effective design work. The flag functions as an instantly recognizable visual identity that can be used by anyone, at any scale, and in virtually any medium. This accessibility and versatility demonstrate design at its most powerful, capable of rapid deployment and widespread adoption.
The flag's historical context adds complexity to its current usage. Henry VII first adopted this symbol of a Turkish saint in the 15th century, illustrating how symbols are historically situated and capable of carrying different cultural, social, and political meanings across different time periods. There have been moments when English and British flags took on more liberal and inclusive meanings, such as when Geri Halliwell wore a Union Jack minidress or when Liam Gallagher and partner Patsy Kensit appeared under Union Jack bedcovers on Vanity Fair's cover in 1997, coinciding with New Labour's seemingly progressive electoral victory.
Today's political climate presents a starkly different backdrop for flag symbolism. The current meaning has shifted toward something more aggressively territorial and divisive, occurring amid a toxic combination of economic downturn, ongoing Brexit fallout, immigration challenges, a struggling Labour government, a flailing Conservative opposition that attacks integration policies, and the rising influence of the right-wing Reform UK party. This convergence of factors has made the flag's proliferation a flashpoint for debates surrounding patriotism, populism, and racism.
The situation is particularly acute in coastal areas like Rossi's Kent town, which frequently makes headlines due to small boats making dangerous Channel crossings from France. The Reform-led council in these areas actively fuels anti-immigrant and anti-"woke" politics while demonstrating a clear understanding of flags' symbolic power. Kent County Council has stated it will not remove St. George's flags unless they pose safety risks, while simultaneously refusing to fly Pride or Ukrainian flags from public buildings throughout the county.
This selective flag policy raises critical questions about why the flag phenomenon isn't being addressed as a design issue. The St. George's Cross demonstrates design's power to transform public spaces, even through small and temporary interventions. Yet architects, designers, and other creators of visual, material, and spatial culture seem ill-equipped to combat the spread of what Rossi terms "pernicious patriotism."
Potential responses to this flag proliferation present difficult dilemmas. Removing the flags appears antagonistic and divisive, potentially dismissing the real concerns and inequalities that underpin their reappearance. Such actions risk patronizing those who wish to express less aggressive forms of national pride. Conversely, doing nothing feels like apathy, cowardice, or appeasement – charges currently being leveled at Labour leader and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has recently embraced flag displays at Labour party conferences featuring English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Union flags.
Some creative responses have emerged to address this challenge. An artist-led initiative in Manchester invites individuals to use stencils adding "Everyone welcome" to St. George's Cross flags before hanging them across the city, creating acts of inclusive space-making. This approach follows a long tradition of creating, mobilizing, and subverting flags and symbols, from Ken Garland's 1960s CND logo to Rem Koolhaas' alternative EU flag in the early 2000s, and works by artists including Jeremy Deller, John Gerrard, Metahaven, and Yoko Ono, whose Earth Peace flag was recently flown in Folkestone to mark International Peace Day.
However, if the flags represent structural problems rather than merely visual ones, addressing them requires structural-level solutions. Given that contemporary design encompasses systems as much as physical objects, this too should be a problem that can be designed out of existence. Yet Rossi questions whether asking architecture and design to address the underlying problems represented by flag proliferation might be expecting too much from these disciplines.
This situation has led to broader questions about late-20th and early-21st century design approaches that raise questions rather than offer solutions, including conceptual, critical, and speculative world-building design practices. While Rossi has long admired and advocated for these approaches in her work and with students, she now questions their efficacy when fictional, future-oriented worlds receive focus while the real, built world desperately needs solving.
The parallel between designers' roles in the flag phenomenon and the environmental emergency becomes apparent – designers are complicit in but cannot single-handedly solve broader societal issues, functioning as bit players in larger social problems. As an educator, Rossi emphasizes the importance of providing students with architecture and design practices, projects, and approaches that are positive, pragmatic, and future-facing, noting ample examples of such work exist.
Despite these considerations and the availability of positive examples, the proliferation of flags continues growing across England, leaving even experienced design historians and educators uncertain about effective responses. The phenomenon represents a critical moment where design's political power becomes undeniably visible, yet the design community appears unprepared to engage with its implications or develop meaningful counter-strategies to address the underlying social tensions it represents.
