The Conlang flag is a symbol of constructed language ("conlang") enthusiasts. It shows a ziggurat or terraced tower (represents the "Tower of Babel") in front of a rising sun (translating Genesis 11:1-9 has been a tradition for conlangers). The flag was choosen by the members of the CONLANG mailing list in September 2004. The final design was drawn by Christian Thalmann and includes the suggestions of many people including Christian Thalmann, Jan van Steenbergen, Leland Paul, David J. Peterson and Adrian Morgan. This SVG file is a vectorization based on Christian Thalmann's original artwork at Index of /art/conflag/final (www.cinga.ch by Christian Thalmann) File:Conlangflag.png and Conlang flag - FrathWiki.
According to donaldboozer at flickr.com (Case 8: Meet the Conlangers, center): "The idea of a “conlang flag” was proposed by David J. Peterson on the CONLANG listserv in a message on Aug. 29, 2004. The next day, Adrian Morgan responded by saying: “Right, it's time to take this seriously,” and a rough sketch was submitted. Discussion on the topic was brisk, over twenty designs and revisions were submitted, and the results were announced on September 23, 2004. The basic layout was suggested by Leland Paul, but the winning flag’s final design was created by Christian Thalmann. Paul’s posting provides some of the symbolism: “Against a purple sky, signifying creativity, an orange sun rises, orange signifying energy, imagination, and communication. It sheds its light over a dark, not-yet-seen world. Silhouetted against the sun is the Tower of Babel, proclaiming the noble nature of the linguistic diversity.” The Tower of Babel also brings to mind the ubiquitous Babel Text often used as a translation exercise. The Conlang Flag has been displayed prominently at the Language Creation Conferences and can be seen on numerous conlangers’ web pages."
CONLANG mailing list. According to Conlanging and phonetics by Adrian Morgan, "The colours represent creative energy, and the layers of the tower imply that a conlang is built piece by piece, never completed. The tower itself also alludes to the Tower of Babel, as it has long been a tradition to demonstrate a constructed language by translating the Babel legend. The Conlang flag was decided on by a vote between many competing designs, and one of my own contributions to the conlanging world is that I was the person who facilitated this election. The winning design was drawn by Christian Thalmann, who introduced the layers. The idea of including the Tower of Babel on the flag had been introduced by Jan van Steenbergen, and the idea of placing the sun on the horizon behind it by Leland Paul. The idea of having the rising sun on the flag had been introduced by David Peterson, who saw it as representing the rise of conlanging from obscurity to popularity and notoriety".
According to the website of Language Creation Society: "The Conlang Flag was designed by Christian Thalmann, Jan van Steenbergen, Leland Paul, David J. Peterson and Adrian Morgan". Vectorized by Froztbyte