comment: >
  
  City flags get weird sometimes, no gradient but The Tampa, Florida flag is a good example
context: This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
  (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
  Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >
  
  I think the idea is that it should be possible to make by hand with limited art skill >
  
  Canada >
  
  Well r/place was a perfect case study for that >
  
  A maple leaf is not easy to draw lol
  I bet most Canadians growing up had the jankiest leaves on their flags, because I can sure tell you my class did lol >
  
  Try the Welsh flag >
  
  Flags like that might not be easy to draw, but they are easy as hell to describe. Which im guessing was important for medieval societies when you didn't have pictures available for everyone. "If you see a red dragon on a white and green field, you're safe", something like that. >
  
  Most countries are too old to have had that as an option when their flags were created. Also the colors and symbols all represent something. What would a gradient represent? >
  
  The slope of a function in one or multiple dimensions >
  
  Hence why no-one's opted to use it. >
  
  Yet. 
  No one has opted to represent the slope of a function yet. >
  
  Yeah where derivative flag >
  
  Goes to show not all shower thoughts are smart ones.
  OP thinking flag designers had access to photoshop in the 1600's smh >
  
  You can make a gradient with 1600s technology >
  
  Ya but can you make a gradient >
  
  Betsy Ross would have had a hell of a time sewing together a gradient flag out of solid colored pieces of cloth. >
  
  There is a reason why many world currencies have color gradients, it is difficult to recreate over and over. >
  
  
  difficult to recreate over and over 
  
  🤔 you mean like what you'd want for currency security, but the opposite of what you'd want for the icon of the country... Makes sense >
  
  Exactly >
  
  It's not a coincidence; people who design flags follow rules designed to make sure flag their designs are able to be accurately reproduced in a ton of different media types. >
  
  As a general rule, a good flag is one that a child can reproduce from memory. Most grown adults can’t draw a gradient. >
  
  most children can't draw an ak47 yet it still found its way onto four world flags >
  
  Wait what? Whose flags? >
  
  East Timor Zimbabwe Birkina Faso Mozambique >
  
  Wow there you go >
  
  There are rules to making a good flag. One of them being it should be so simple that a child can recreate it from memory. >
  
  The Welsh dragon certainly looks like it was drawn by a child from memory >
  
  Anyone who thinks this is a good idea should check out the Provo, UT flag >
  
  I'm curious if it's because it would be difficult to recreate the exact same gradient every time. >
  
  Well when you have to hand sew the fabric together, less is more. >
  
  I am gonna take a fat guess here and suppose you are born after the beginning of the digital era 
  Dude a flag is a piece of fabric how do you gradient that?
  But nice post 
  Upvote >
  
  "For some reason."
  Christ on a cracker, are you really that dense, OP? >
  
  One of the main rules for flags is that they have to be "readable" from far away, gradients just make the whole thing muddy. >
  
  I imagine current flags were developed prior to having the technology to produce gradient patterned fabric economically. But I love the idea! >
  
  Well, originally flags were pieces of cloth, and its kinda hard to make a gradient this way >
  
  You also want the flag to be clear at a distance. Sharp lines help with that. >
  
  You should probably stop thinking too hard in the shower before you fall and Crack your head open >
  
  Most flags were made back before reliable, inexpensive dye or weaving techniques. Hell I'd wager that tricolor flags are so popular because it's just the easiest unique pattern one can make. >
  
  Which is why Qatar has a faded colout >
  
  Aren't flag designed to be easy to reproduce in every way? Drawing, clothing, ect...? In a way of everyone being able to reproduce it without too much cost or something like that? >
  
  Most country flags are super boring. Just colored stripes. Put a symbol on there or something, so I don't get your confused with colored stripe flag numbers 87. >
  
  Probably because it was a difficult thing to do back in the middle ages... >
  
  Learn to sew and you'll figure it out pretty quickly why this is the case... >
  
  Leaving aside the technical challenges... 
  I'm just going to throw in this example of someone doing this to prove to you why it's a terrible idea. 
  After your eyes recover, read the following carefully:
  Seriously: Don't do this on a flag. You're supposed to be able to tell all the flags apart, and gradients make that nearly impossible. And they really hurt your eyes. >
  
  considering the age of most flags I wonder if the technology even allowed for this. >
  
  Ug, this shows how stupid this current generation is today - most flags were created when they were simply sewing colors together from cloth. How does this get 347 upvotes??? >
  
  Reminds me of that girl saying "OMG I never knew Titanic was real", she only knew the movie 😂