Aroflux Accessible Flag (2020)
Identity Pride Flag ·
An accessibility redesign of the aroflux flag, posted for Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week on 16 February 2020 by the Tumblr user toothcity, who also posts as the-circus. [1] The purpose was stated plainly and is the whole of the design brief: "I wanted to keep the meanings of the original flag but fix up the colours so the flag isn't as eyestrainy as it currently is." [1] Five bands running crimson, salmon, pale yellow, yellow-green and green, with credit waived: "Feel free to use, no credit is required!" [1]
Key facts
- Designer
- the-circus (Tumblr)
- Created
- First documented public use
- In use
- 2020-present
- Aspect Ratio
- 3:5 · standard
- Stripes
- 5
- Represented Identity
- Aroflux people, whose position on the aromantic spectrum fluctuates over time
Also known as
- Aroflux Eyestrain-Free Flag
- Aroflux Redesign (the-circus)
Status Variant
Archive categories Sexual & Romantic Orientation Pride Flags
Overview
Legibility. The designer's objection to the existing flag was that it was eyestraining, and the redesign keeps its meanings while changing its colours. [1]
Posted for Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week on 16 February 2020: "Happy Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, here's a redesign of the Aroflux flag! I wanted to keep the meanings of the original flag but fix up the colours so the flag isn't as eyestrainy as it currently is. Feel free to use, no credit is required! Please share this around, even if you aren't Aroflux so more people can see it!" The post closes: "Don't interact with this post if you're an aspec exclusionist please and thank you." [1]
Identity & Context
- Represented Identity
- Aroflux people, whose position on the aromantic spectrum fluctuates over time
- Subcommunity
- aromantic spectrum
Aroflux is a romantic orientation on the aromantic spectrum describing people whose level of romantic attraction fluctuates. An aroflux person may move between experiencing aromanticism, grayromanticism, and alloromanticism. The term was coined by Tumblr user ngc2068.
Creators
The Creator
the-circus
Designer
Tumblr user the-circus created this aroflux variant on February 16, 2020 for Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week, with the explicit goal of preserving the original flag's meaning while reducing the eyestrain that the original design caused for some viewers.
I wanted to keep the meanings of the original flag but fix up the colours so the flag isn't as eyestrainy as it currently is.
Feel free to use, no credit is required! Please share this around, even if you aren't Aroflux so more people can see it!
Attribution notes
The post is authored by toothcity and tagged "the circus"; the reblog chain shows the-circus at its root. Both names are the same blog. [1][2]
Origin
- Specific Place
- Tumblr (the-circus)
- Place Type
- online community
- Digital Origin
- Yes
Digital origin; no verified physical location.
Posted to Tumblr by user the-circus on February 16, 2020, during Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week.
Dates & Chronology
- Year Created
- Exact date
- First public use
- Period in Use
- 2020-present
The same designer published a matching aceflux redesign alongside it: "Reblogging this post to quickly add that we've made a Aceflux flag redesign to go with this!" [1] The Tumblr user aroaesflags, who designed the sunset aroace flag, then built an aroaceflux flag on the pair: "Hope you don't mind but I made an aroaceflux flag based on these!" [2]
A companion accessible aceflux flag redesign was created by Tumblr user toothcity on February 17, 2020, following a similar approach of reducing eyestrain while preserving meaning.
Lineage
- Direct predecessors
- Aroflux Pride Flag
A direct variant of the original aroflux pride flag, redesigned for accessibility. The color meanings (red for alloromantic, green for aromantic, gradient for flux) are retained from the original.
Lineage tree
Every record reachable from this one through documented parent and child relationships: 2 records across 2 generations.
- Ancestor
- Aroflux Pride Flag
- This record
- Aroflux Accessible Flag (2020)
Colors & Symbolism
The flag uses the same symbolic framework as the original aroflux flag, representing the spectrum from alloromanticism to aromanticism that aroflux people move along. The colors have been adjusted to reduce visual strain while preserving the gradient structure.
| Colour | Hex | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Red (modified) | — | Alloromantic attraction, representing the experience of full romantic attraction. |
| Warm transitional tone | — | Gradient between alloromantic and aromantic, representing fluctuation. |
| Neutral transitional tone | — | Midpoint of the gradient, representing grayromantic experience. |
| Cool transitional tone | — | Gradient between aromantic and alloromantic, representing fluctuation. |
| Green | #3DA649 | Aromantic experience, representing little or no romantic attraction. |
| Crimson | #D6205B | — |
| Salmon | #EA736F | — |
| Pale yellow | #F0E7B0 | — |
| Yellow-green | #A9D274 | — |
Measured from the file the designer posted on 16 February 2020. [1]
This flag has no official digital palette. Color values shown are approximate.
The meanings are the original aroflux flag's, unchanged by intent: the redesign alters only the colours. [1] The designer set out the whole brief in one sentence, quoted in Creation.
Measured from the designer's own posted file, five bands of equal depth at 5:3. [1] Earlier versions of this entry carried #D63838, #E89090, #F5F5F5, #9DC587 and #3D8B3D as approximations from circulating images, and every one is materially off. The centre band is the largest error: it is a pale yellow, not the near-white recorded before, and that warmth is much of what distinguishes the redesign from the flag it corrects.
Design
- Aspect Ratio
- 3:5 · standard
- Orientation
- horizontal
- Stripe Count
- 5
- Layout
- horizontal stripes
- Stripes (Top → Bottom)
- red (modified), warm transitional, neutral transitional, cool transitional, green (modified)
Five horizontal bands of equal depth. The posted file is 640 by 384 pixels, a ratio of 5:3. [1]
Five equal horizontal stripes forming a gradient from a modified red at the top to a modified green at the bottom. The colors are adjusted from the original aroflux flag to reduce eyestrain while preserving the overall gradient structure.
Usage & Adoption
- First Users
- Tumblr aroflux and aromantic-spectrum community
- Online Usage
- Tumblr, Aromantic spectrum community spaces
- Current Status
- active
Circulates primarily on Tumblr among aroflux and aromantic-spectrum users who find the original flag's colors visually uncomfortable.
Image Archive
Flag design
Discourse & Debates
- Whether color accessibility (reducing eyestrain) should be prioritized over historical fidelity to original flag designs. the-circus's redesign explicitly prioritized accessibility, raising the broader question of how community flags should balance tradition and usability.
Common misidentifications
- May be confused with the original aroflux pride flag due to the similar gradient structure and color meanings.
Footnotes & Citations
Sources and footnotes 4 sources
Social media
- 1. the-circus: happy aromantic spectrum awareness week. toothcity (the-circus). Tumblr (2020-02-16). Accessed 2026-08-16
The designer's own post: the flag, the accessibility brief, and the reuse waiver.
- 2. aroaesflags: toothcity: the-circus: happy aromantic spectrum awareness. Tumblr. Accessed 2026-08-16
Reblog chain carrying aroaesflags' aroaceflux flag built on this design and its aceflux companion.
- Aroflux flag redesign by the-circus (Tumblr, archived by aroflagarchive). the-circus. Tumblr (aroflagarchive) (2020-02-16). Accessed 2026-03-31
- Aroflux. LGBTQIA+ Wiki. Accessed 2026-03-31
Image Sources
- Rendering
- measured_from_source_file
- The Aroflux Accessible Flag (2020). Colors are approximated from circulating images. · SVG reconstruction