Re. your point “Most flags designs have a 1:2 ratio.”

Not sure this is true, from Wikipedia:
The ratios used most commonly are 2:3, used by 87 of 195 sovereign states, and 1:2, used by 54 sovereign states. 3:5 is also very common (eg. Germany, Bulgaria), which is what proportion Silver Ferm B&W probably is. It seems unfair that it should be docked points just because it is not 1:2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_proportions_of_national_flags