Maharajah rates national emblems

[Maharajah]

A to Z, one a day.

Afghanistan



Rating: C
Coat of arms? No

First off, it's not a coat of arms, and not pretending to be one. It will be judged accordingly.

It's quite complicated, even for a non-heraldic emblem, and it seems like a stange combination of Soviet themes and traditional Islamic art. At the very least it only has two colors.

Some components seem unneeded, like the little sunburst above the mosque and perhaps the decorative elements below the mosque.

It could be greatly improved by replacing the wheat and ribbons with the rays of previous emblems, and even a slight reduction in the complexity of the mosque symbol would be beneficial.

[Maharajah]

Well, it's pretty embarassing that I couldn't even keep this going for two days in a row. But here's the next:

Albania



Rating: A
Coat of arms? Yes

I give the emblem this rating because it is simple and easily identifiable.

However, I do not give it an A+ because of one little thing: The crown is a little bit odd and/or ugly looking in that position, and I see no reason why it should have been transferred from on top of the shield to part of it. Also (this did not impact my rating), many would say this coat of arms breaks the rule of tincture. However, black is sometimes considered a fur (sable), especially in central and southern Europe, and red can be used as a metal (copper).

[Ofaloaf]

Originally Posted by Maharajah

. At the very least it only has two colors.

Say what? That wheat looks like it's a very light shade of yellow-- look at it next to the pure white ribbon, there's a different in color between the two.

[Susano]

Originally Posted by Maharajah

The crown is a little bit odd and/or ugly looking in that position, and I see no reason why it should have been transferred from on top of the shield to part of it.

Jesus, when did they change that? That looks ugly! And the CoA looked so good before (Though the Eagle suffers from the same trend of drawing them as the current German Federal Eagle. The impact isnt as bad, though)

Also (this did not impact my rating), many would say this coat of arms breaks the rule of tincture. However, black is sometimes considered a fur (sable), especially in central and southern Europe, and red can be used as a metal (copper).

Ah, that again

[Xwarq]

Afghanistan deserves a B

Albania deserves an F-

That yellow hat... ugh.

[charl]

I think Albania has one of the nicer emblems in the world. It is fairly simple, only really consisting of two colours, and the eagle is easily identifiable and recognisable. Definitely agree on the A there.

[Maharajah]

Algeria



Rating: F
Coat of arms? No

Ugh. Where should I begin? Well, first off, it's a seal, or at least based off of the idea of a seal. Seals should not have to conform to the same standards of coats of arms - they can afford to be a bit busy, or have a good amount of text. However, like any emblem, they should be immediately identifiable and have a distinct design.

Another good idea for emblems is to have a connection to the national flag.

This emblem does that, and it provides the basis for a clear and striking design. However, there are many little elements added in that make it a big, ugly mish-mash. They tried to fit in all sorts of buildings, plants, a landscape, calligraphy, and a crescent.

Basically, they tried to fit in too much, and arranged it in a poor manner.

My advice for improving it is to either take out the buildings and the plants in the middle, and make it a cresecnt and star surounded by a wreath of wheat and that other thing (olive branch?) and calligraphy, or else go back to one of these old emblems:

French Algeria



1962-1971



1971-1976



That last one isn't perfect, but it would do.

[LylyCSM2]

Like this thread a lot, though I have a few things to point out.

Per Albania: It's not a crown, nor is it a hat. It's a cap. A Phrygian Cap, actually, a symbol of democracy. It's also in the Coats of Arms of some Latin American countries; Argentina comes to mind, but I think others incorporate it as well. I do agree it looks strange as-is though.

Per Algeria: There's no calligraphy here. Afghanistan's emblem has calligraphy, Algeria's is just the normal font. Arabic is always written in "cursive".

[Alex Richards]

Originally Posted by LylyCSM2

Like this thread a lot, though I have a few things to point out.

Per Albania: It's not a crown, nor is it a hat. It's a cap. A Phrygian Cap, actually, a symbol of democracy. It's also in the Coats of Arms of some Latin American countries; Argentina comes to mind, but I think others incorporate it as well. I do agree it looks strange as-is though.

Per Algeria: There's no calligraphy here. Afghanistan's emblem has calligraphy, Algeria's is just the normal font. Arabic is always written in "cursive".

Actually, I looked up Albania, it's the helmet of Stavichos (or something similar) summounted by goat's horns.

[Zajir]

Originally Posted by LylyCSM2

Like this thread a lot, though I have a few things to point out.

Per Albania: It's not a crown, nor is it a hat. It's a cap. A Phrygian Cap, actually, a symbol of democracy. It's also in the Coats of Arms of some Latin American countries; Argentina comes to mind, but I think others incorporate it as well. I do agree it looks strange as-is though.

On Albania:Its not a Phyrigian cap, but rather the helmet and crown of Skanderberg, that is a helmet with a goat head on top .

[Maharajah]

Yeah, you can get a clearer idea of what the crown/helmet looks like here, in the coat of arms used during the reign of Zog I:

[LylyCSM2]

Oh, wow. I stand corrected, that is a very strange crown.

[Thande]

I'm guessing the crown went on the emblem of Albania as a compromise as it couldn't go back on the flag, given that they're not actually a kingdom anymore and it would send the wrong message - whereas emblems can look more towards heritage.

That and it was probably a deliberate fuck-you to the fact that there used to be a Communist star there on the intermediate flag.

Flag of the old Albanian Kingdom:


And of Communist Albania:

[Alternatehistorybuff5341]

Someone should do this for Flags. I vote Krall.

[Communist Wizard]

Only on AH.Com can we have a spirited discussion on a certain part of the Albanian emblem.
Anywaysa, I agree with the 'A' on Albania, but would raise Afghanistan to a 'C+'. White on red looks good, even if it is cluttered.

[Krall]

Originally Posted by Alternatehistorybuff5341

Someone should do this for Flags. I vote Krall.

Lots of people have already done this for flags, and generally I find that something like this is likely to create conflict with others who disagree.

[Maharajah]

Andorra



Rating: A
Coat of arms? Yes

Now, while I don't especially favor that baroque shield, it isn't over-ornamented, and the blazon uses just two main colors and a bit of two others, so it's nice and simple. And it's an interesting touch to have the motto on part of the shield.

[Alex Richards]

Ah yes Andorra. Foix, Aragon, Catalonia and the Bishopic quartered. I like it as well. The lovely thing is, you can have revolutionary Andorra just use the vertical stripes of Foix/Aragon.

[Susano]

...silver and gold?

As for the ornament, meh. As long as the Shield of Arms is okay, I dont crae much for the rest anyways

[Zajir]

Originally Posted by Susano

...silver and gold?

As for the ornament, meh. As long as the Shield of Arms is okay, I dont crae much for the rest anyways

I thought that ecclesiastical authorities could use silver and gold in thier arms, the Pope did use it after all...