Large central white triangle from bottom to peak at top with blue background and yellow beehive in center

First, it was important to me to keep the iconic beehive symbol. It's so unique and important to our state. The industrious connotation is as relevant as ever with our blossoming tech and business industries and innovative medical research fields. Beehives also represent unity and working together, values that are increasingly important in what feels like an ever-polarizing world. I chose to represent the beehive in five tiers as a subtle nod to the state's five incredible national parks. The background of the flag is comprised of a large white triangle flanked on each side by navy blue swatches. The triangular shape frames the beehive seal, while also providing a simple graphic representation of our state's famous mountains. Coming to a peak at the top-center of the flag, it pays homage our state's "Life Elevated" slogan found on license plates and travel advertising. The hyper-reductive geometric representation of the mountains is suitable for the straightforward and graphic nature of flag design. The design feels appropriate for a flag, with its blocked-out styling and limited color palette, but a triangle with points in the bottom corners and top-center is also distinctive, appearing on no other state or country flags to my knowledge. Lastly, the simple navy, white, and yellow/gold color palette is inspired by the existing state flag that we would be retiring. Utilizing the key colors of that flag maintains a thread of familiarity as we transition into a new flag and honors all those who came before us to build this thriving state out of an empty desert. As the architect Friedrich Stowasser said "If we destroy our roots, we cannot grow." My hope is that this flag design maintains our collective roots, while the clean and contemporary update represents our looking ahead to the future.