Missouri County Seal Designer Admits An Unwell 5-Year-Old Could Do A Better Job
The badge of St Francois County has it all: It’s got an American eagle, an American flag, a bible, and the motto “In God We Trust”—all very American traits. Most importantly, it’s got meme value.
To confirm your suspicions, the emblem was indeed designed by an amateur. More specifically, St Francois County commissioner Harold Gallaher, now 74, took it upon himself to work on the current graphic as the county had only two days to get it done. And instead of engaging a designer, he admitted to using “simple software” to give it its patriotic look.
Having been on the receiving end of some fresh new jokes—with internet users envisioning it to be the result of some free clipart being plastered on Microsoft PowerPoint—there’s a misconception that the rural Missouri county seal was introduced just recently. In actual fact, it was unveiled in 2018 and is now enduring a resurgence of mockery.
St. Francois county in Missouri just having an absolute normal one with their brand new county seal. pic.twitter.com/V2QlfNhfyF
— 🕯⛓ð•°ð–•ð–ð–—ð–†ð–Žð–’⛓🕯 (@SethOvKnives) January 3, 2022
Gallaher, whose background is in mechanical engineering, now looks back at the “rush deal” and deems it “a piece of junk,” as quoted by the Independent.
“I’ve said a five-year-old kid with a high fever could do a better job than I did,” he declared at a commission meeting last Tuesday.
Four years on, the county is looking to commission a more professionally-done seal and is thus hosting a public contest for a new design. It’s hesitant to use taxpayers’ money, however, so the prize will be a modest donation pooled together by St Francois officials.
Gallaher is hoping the redesign will encompass all the American motifs displayed in the current seal, with the addition of a graphic symbolizing the county’s parks. But more than anything, it has to be “better than the seal we have now.”
An improved design “would be a slam dunk,” said Gallaher.
[via The Independent, NPR, Hyperallergic, cover image via St Francois County]
