Cover
Front Matter
Which Way Forward? Directionality in Flag Perception and Design
Scott D. Mainwaring, independent researcher and lecturer
Flag designers often need to decide how to convey the idea of facing or moving “forward”. An effective solution depends on the representational traditions and the psychology of flag perception. These are surprisingly complex matters, however, as people may bring multiple ways of projecting the idea of “forward” onto a flag, ways which can reinforce or contradict one another. This paper lays out five different ways people may impose a sense of horizontal directionality to a flag.
Soiuz and Symbolic Union: Representations of Unity in Soviet Symbolism
Anne M. Platoff, Slavic Studies Librarian, University of California, Santa Barbara — Santa Barbara, California
“Soiuz” in Russian means “union”—a key word in the formal name of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Once the world’s largest state, the Soviet Union comprised 15 republics and more than 100 distinct ethnic groups. The country celebrated its diversity while at the same time emphasizing the unity of all Soviet peoples. Throughout the 1922–1991 history of the USSR a highly-developed system of symbolic representations was used to portray the strength of the union. This paper examines the many ways in which the concepts of union and unity were symbolically portrayed in Soviet society including the use of flags, emblems, imagery, and slogans. It demonstrates the importance of the concept of “soiuz” in the Soviet Union. Finally, it shows how unity symbols were central to Soviet messaging both domestically and internationally.
End Matter
- Scott D. Mainwaring, Ph.D., editor
Editorial Board:
- Perry Dane, J.D., Rutgers University
- Scot M. Guenter, Ph.D., San José State University
- Anne M. Platoff, M.S., M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara
- Kenneth W. Reynolds, Ph.D., Department of National Defence (Canada)
- Peter Ansoff, Annandale, Virginia (ex-officio)
Raven is a benefit of membership in NAVA.