Could you say a bit more about what you want this flag to symbolize/communicate? Flags for nations need to symbolize what holds the members of that country together and unifies them but, when it comes to an idea, it seems the flag is more a matter of what you want to communicate to others about the virtues of your idea. I mean I’m having trouble imagining that a utilitarian flag could do $1000 worth of good unless it does some important PR work for utilitarianism.
If it was me I’d be trying to pick a flag to communicate the idea that utilitarianism is (or well a natural consequence of/close too) universal love/empathy/concern. My sense is that opposition to utilitarianism seems frequently rooted in this idea that it’s cold, uncaring calculation. But since you are the one putting up the money maybe you can lay out a bit more what you want to communicate and what use you see this flag being put to.
I think the “heart in a lightbulb” insignia for EA is a great design choice and excellent for outreach, but there is no such communicable symbol for utilitarianism. Companies know to spend much on design for outreach since visualization is not superfluous. I do not think the optimal spending is $0, as is currently the case.
A point of the competition is finding a visual way of communicating a salient idea about utilitarianism suitable for broader outreach. I do not know what part is best to communicate or how best to communicate it—that’s part of the reason for the competition.
Could you say a bit more about what you want this flag to symbolize/communicate? Flags for nations need to symbolize what holds the members of that country together and unifies them but, when it comes to an idea, it seems the flag is more a matter of what you want to communicate to others about the virtues of your idea. I mean I’m having trouble imagining that a utilitarian flag could do $1000 worth of good unless it does some important PR work for utilitarianism.
If it was me I’d be trying to pick a flag to communicate the idea that utilitarianism is (or well a natural consequence of/close too) universal love/empathy/concern. My sense is that opposition to utilitarianism seems frequently rooted in this idea that it’s cold, uncaring calculation. But since you are the one putting up the money maybe you can lay out a bit more what you want to communicate and what use you see this flag being put to.
I think the “heart in a lightbulb” insignia for EA is a great design choice and excellent for outreach, but there is no such communicable symbol for utilitarianism. Companies know to spend much on design for outreach since visualization is not superfluous. I do not think the optimal spending is $0, as is currently the case. A point of the competition is finding a visual way of communicating a salient idea about utilitarianism suitable for broader outreach. I do not know what part is best to communicate or how best to communicate it—that’s part of the reason for the competition.