It has to relate to the south African flag.

Or shall we just stick Mandela and Evita Bezuidenhout’s face on there?

Or the big 5 and a pink loerie?

Also what’s so wrong with a company running a logo, all the best logo’s and copy rights are managed by companies…

AND I agree we have to wake up! Our own ambassador in the UNITED NATIONS voted that it is OK to massacre, execute and have genocide for HOMOSEXUALITY!

So my gay brothers and sisters, we either stick together on this continent or we are TOAST!

For that reason I will go buy a flag from these guys as they have good intentions. Let’s give them a chance. I think we do need some platform as GLBT South Africans.

Yeah baby!!. @Tim – You said it! Saw the flag hanging at Crew and some other joints. Nice

Proud. @Gary Agreed, Gary – I am also going to be (already) proud of it.xxx

1) This design leave’s me stone cold. It’s unimaginative. I’ve more than 12 years graphic design experience. I’m the creative director of a small advertising firm. I could never pass this design for publication, let alone go the expense of trade marking it before serious evaluation.

2) A private company has ‘trademarked’ a public devise (although my understanding of the process means that it may well have been applied for, with approval from CIPRO pending) whose essential structure (the rainbow bars) is used throughout the world by innumerable LGBTI community members to express their pride and solidarity. If it were to be commercialised, why not by a public benefit organisation where the proceeds would go directly to essential projects? Both Joburg and Cape Town Prides are public benefit companies, wherein individuals cannot personally gain. They came about after years of debate, argument and reflection, as necessary custodians of our common communal pride.

3) The reported broad-based buy-in by Cape Town tourism companies leaves me uneasy. I’ve personally been involved in promoting gay tourism in SA for 15 years and been to 12 tourism Indabas. When a tourism business has wanted to show solidarity with or promote their business at gay travellers, the colour scheme of the rainbow flag has either been literally transposed in varying degrees within their marketing material or creatively applied as such. The fact that a private company is now obliging businesses to pay for exclusive use of that visual devise if they want to continue accessing the pink market implies an unpleasant turn of events.

There are a number of suppliers locally and overseas who provide pride merchandise to the public. I’ve never come across a situation like this.

A South African version of the flag would be welcome if it is well designed, generally approved of and for public, not private benefit. Ultimately, when one considers photos of pride events the world over, it is that Gilbert Baker flag the flies proudly in the sky.

On a personal note, I deem my sexuality universal and this transcends my nationality. I’m proud to share within a global heritage a universally powerful symbol.

Let the debate continue…

However, I do agree that this flag design is really boring and unoriginal. Surely some graphic designers could come up with something much better than this. This design looks like it was done by a school kid and probably took all of 2 minutes to do.

But I will still be proud of it.