What is the purpose of a State Flag?
A flag can be seen as a symbol or an icon for whatever it represents. Like how a flag represents a country, a basketball team, or your school's math club, it gives viewers a glimpse of what it stands for. A flag is likewise an identity of a nation to the rest of the world. A state's flag becomes part of a state's identity. The flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes. That's why countries should (and why most do) stick to a simple pattern and a simple color scheme, and why they save the fancy things for money and other material possessions that people can hold in their hands. That's why, for example, a Canadian flag has two bright colors with a large, simple leaf pattern in the middle, while a Canadian five dollar bill has iridescent maple leaves, a hidden number, a fine engraving of Sir Wilfrid Laurier on the front, and, of course, an equally fine engraving of kids playing hockey on the back.