Arkansas State Colors | Red White Blue

Arkansas has not passed a separate state-colors law. However, red, white, and blue are the traditional state colors through their prominent use on the Arkansas state flag, which was adopted by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1913. The flag's design — a red field bearing a white diamond bordered in blue, with the word ARKANSAS and surrounding stars — establishes all three colors as the foundation of the state's public imagery, as detailed on Arkansas's flag page.

The state flag was created through a design contest organized by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1912. The winning design by Willie Kavanaugh Hocker was adopted by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1913 and has been modified slightly over subsequent decades, most recently in 1924 when a blue star was added above the name ARKANSAS to represent the Confederacy. The three-color palette of red, white, and blue deliberately mirrors the colors of the United States flag, embedding a statement of national loyalty into the state's primary visual symbol.

The red, white, and blue of Arkansas carry layered meanings that connect the state to national identity while also referencing specific Arkansas history. The combination was chosen deliberately to honor the United States flag, and each color element of the state flag reinforces a different aspect of Arkansas's heritage — from its diamond-producing geology represented by the white diamond shape, to its 25th-state status represented by the ring of white stars on the blue border, to its proud Southern and American identity represented by the dominant red field.

The red, white, and blue colors appear on the Arkansas state flag, which is displayed at all state government buildings, courthouses, and official state functions. The Arkansas state seal, adopted in 1864 and revised in 1907, incorporates a broader palette including gold and green to represent the state's agricultural and natural resources, but the state flag's tricolor palette remains the dominant color tradition in official state communications. These three colors are used consistently across Arkansas state agency branding, the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism's marketing materials, and official state publications. The Arkansas Secretary of State's office maintains the flag specifications and distributes guidelines for accurate reproduction of the state flag's colors in print and digital media, with interstate context in States That Border Arkansas.

For macro comparisons, Arkansas's visual and geographic identity is often analyzed in U.S. states by land area and under The Natural State nickname.