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The jubilee, great British brands and… our 21st birthday!
It’s been a busy and exciting time here at ICM recently, and we’re only just getting started! We all enjoyed the jubilee weekend, celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years of service – That’s 70 years of loyal, hard work, and dedicated service – qualities that we share here at ICM as we prepare to celebrate our 21st birthday this summer.
As part of our 21st birthday celebrations we’ve been looking at some great British brands, starting with the Union Jack. As well as the history behind the Union Jack, we have of course loved learning about the design features (some of us more than others!). We thought we’d share some of them here:
The flag was designed by King James I
King James I designed the flag when he inherited the thrones of England and Scotland in 1806. He wanted to combine the two crosses of the respective nations. Ireland’s Cross of St Patrick wasn’t added until it became part of the United Kingdom in 1801.
3 in 1
The flag houses England’s Cross of St. George, Scotland’s Cross of St. Andrew and Ireland’s Cross of St. Patrick to form a hybrid of red, white and blue patriotism.
Wales’ famous red dragon is missing though – this is likely because Wales was historically a part of England, so they were not considered a separate entity.
We wonder whether all of this was in the original brief…!
It’s not symmetrical
Instantly noticeable to eagle eyed designers like us, but maybe not to some. This also means there’s a right (and a wrong!) side up.
Colours
The colour specification for the blue is Pantone 280 C and the red is 186 C, worth remembering for the next time you’re feeling patriotic.
Keep following us on social media as we get ready for our 21st birthday and explore other Great British Brands, some of which we’re thrilled to work with.