DesignHow does this "International Flag of Planet Earth" compare to those in science fiction?
If our planet had an official flag, what would it look like? We compare a Swedish design student's popular proposal with fictional Earth flags.

If Planet Earth had an official flag, what would it look like? In our galactic explorations, we have always used country flags to identify ourselves when setting foot on new territory, yielding the famous (albeit contested) photographs of the moon landing with an American flag attached. With the fast approaching possibility of civilizations on Mars by 2025, design student Oskar Pernefeldt has proposed an International Flag of Planet Earth for his graduate thesis at Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm, Sweden. The flag depicts a blue background, with seven rings interlocked together.
This is not the first time Earth has been given a flag. For science fiction writers and cartoonists alike, Earth has already had many neighbors in the universe for quite some time. Here is a list of some of the designs for a fictional international flags of Earth. Did we miss your favorite?
“Centered in the flag, seven rings form a flower – a symbol of the life on Earth. The rings are linked to each other, which represents how everything on our planet, directly or indirectly, are linked. The blue field represents water which is essential for life – also as the oceans cover most of our planet's surface. The flower's outer rings form a circle which could be seen as a symbol of Earth as a planet and the blue surface could represent the universe.”
- Oskar Pernefeldt
Flags that represent
Earth in pop culture
Hopes & Fears' collected a few creative representations of our planet
Commander 1
The flag of the fictional United States of the World, according to the book Commander 1 (1965) by Peter George.
Superman
This flag appears in a DC comics spin-off where Superman rules the world.
Space: Above and Beyond
The flag for a future United Nations of 2063 in the 90's American Sci-Fi, Space: Above and Beyond.
SETI
Designed by James W. Cadle, this flag is popular amongst the researchers of Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Star Trek: Next Generation
A fictional flag from the Star Trek: Next Generation TV series was the 52 Star US flag.
Concept for the International
Flag of Planet Earth
This video explains the concept behind the design of the International Flag of Planet Earth,
a part of the graduation project by Oskar Pernefeldt, 2015.
Animation by: Johan Fredriksson
images via flagofplanetearth.com