Vexillography ( ) is the art and practice of designing flags; a person who designs flags is a vexillographer. Vexillo''graphy'' is allied with vexillo''logy'', the scholarly study of flags, but is not synonymous with that discipline.Smith, Whitney. Flag Bulletin XL:202 (2001).

Background of flag design

Flag designs exhibit a number of regularities, arising from a variety of practical concerns, historical circumstances, and cultural prescriptions that have shaped and continue to shape their evolution. Vexillographers face the necessity for the design to be manufactured (and often

mass-produced Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. ...

) into or onto a piece of cloth, which will subsequently be hoisted aloft in the outdoors to represent an organization, individual, idea, or group. In this respect, flag design departs considerably from

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

design: logos are predominantly still images suitable for reading off a page, screen, or billboard; while flags are alternately draped and fluttering images - visible from a variety of distances and angles (including the reverse). The prevalence of simple bold colors and shapes in flag design attests to these practical issues. Flag design has a history, and new designs often refer back to previous designs, effectively quoting, elaborating, or commenting upon them. Families of current flags may derive from a few common ancestors - as in the cases of the Pan-African colours, the

Pan-Arab colors The pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain aspect of the Arabs, Arab people and their history. History The four colors derive their potency from a v ...

, the

Pan-Slavic colors The pan-Slavic colors—blue, white and red—were defined by the Prague Slavic Congress, 1848, based on the symbolism of the colors of the flag of Russia, which was introduced in the late 17th century. Historically, however, many Slavs, Sla ...

, the

Nordic Cross flag A Nordic cross flag is a flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the centre of the cross shifted towards the hoist. All independent Nordic countries have adopted such flags in ...

and the Ottoman flag. Certain cultures prescribe the proper design of their own flags, through

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

or other authoritative systems. Prescription may be based on religious principles: see, for example, Islamic flags. Vexillographers have begun to articulate design principles, such as those jointly published by the

North American Vexillological Association The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith, and others. Its membership of 1,100+ comprises flag s ...

and the

Flag Institute The Flag Institute is a membership organisation and UK-registered educational charity devoted to the study and promotion of flags and flag flying. It documents flags in the UK and around the world, maintains a UK Flag Registry, and offers advic ...

in their ''Guiding Principles of Flag Design''.

Principles of design

In 2006, the

published a booklet titled ''"Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag'' to aid those wishing to design or re-design a flag. Taking a

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

approach, the booklet lists five basic flag design principles which have become a standard reference in the vexillographer community. In 2014, the North American Vexillological Association, alongside the Flag Institute created an updated booklet titled ''The Commission's Report on the Guiding Principles of Flag Design'', which addresses issues present in ''"Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag'', and goes more in-depth on the ideas laid forth in the aforementioned booklet. The guidelines in this booklet can be summarized as follows:

Basics

#Keep in mind the physics of a flag in flight when designing a flag #Simple designs are more easily remembered while complex ones are harder to recall and recreate #Flags should have distinctive designs that separate them from others #Designs and trends should be avoided if there is a possibility that they can date quickly

Color

#Using fewer colors keeps designs simple and bold (2-3 colors are strongly recommended) #Contrast is important; use light on dark and dark on light #Modern printing techniques have made more shades of color available than previously, and this can be used advantageously #Designs should make the edge of a flag be well-defined so as to not get visually lost in the background of where it is flying #

Gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function f of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p gives the direction and the rate of fastest increase. The g ...

on flags (Like the

Flag of Guatemala The flag of Guatemala, often referred to as the National Pavilion () or the Blue-and-White (), features two colors: sky blue and white. According to decree, the two sky blue stripes represents strength, justice, truth and loyalty. The white col ...

) make it look too computer generated, and make it difficult to sew/draw. Try to avoid gradients

Structure

# Charges are best placed in the canton, hoist, or center of a design as these are the most visually prominent areas #Flag designs are usually longer than they are tall #Having different designs on the

obverse and reverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' mean ...

of a flag undermines recognition and increases cost of production

Devices

#A single device should be used in a prominent position to ensure that people can recognize the flag whether it is in flight or at rest #When multiple devices are included, different background colors can be used to "anchor" the devices into the overall design #Devices should be stylized graphical representations as opposed to realistic drawings, so the flag can easily be recreated and recognized by anyone #Avoid text on flags; it is difficult to read while the flag is in flight and will appear backwards on the flag's reverse #Charges with directionality traditionally face towards the hoist, or flagpole #Seals, coats of arms, or logos are usually too complex to be used effectively on a flag, although exceptions exist

Symbolism

#Symbols should be both distinct and representative #A flag should represent the totality of any given community as opposed to its individual parts #A flag should emphasize its own identity over higher-level groupings, otherwise distinctiveness is lost #Symbolism relating to other entities should only be used if there is a clear, direct relevance #Designers should avoid representing any particular reference in multiple ways, and instead try to make a single definitive reference

Prominent vexillographers

Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (Almada, 21 November 1857 – Lisbon, 6 November 1929), who is usually referred to as Columbano, was a Portuguese Realist painter. Usually considered the greatest Portuguese painter of the 19th century, he has been ...

, designer of the

flag of Portugal The national flag of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic, often referred to as the Portuguese flag consists of a rectangular bicolour with a field divided into green on the Flag terminology#Description of standard flag parts and terms, hoist, and r ...

Luis Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

and

Sabino Arana Sabino Policarpo Arana Goiri (in Spanish language, Spanish), Sabin Polikarpo Arana Goiri (in Basque language, Basque), or Arana ta Goiri'taŕ Sabin (self-styled) (26 January 1865 – 25 November 1903), was a spaniards, Spanish writer and the ...

, designers of the

Ikurriña The flag of the Basque Country, also known as the ikurrina (in Basque)EuskaltzaindiaDictionary of the Standard Basque, retrieved 2010-10-04. or ikurriña ( Spanish spelling of the Basque term), is the official flag of the Basque Country Auton ...

(the flag of the Basque Country) *

Graham Bartram The Flag Institute is a membership organisation and UK-registered educational charity devoted to the study and promotion of flags and flag flying. It documents flags in the UK and around the world, maintains a UK Flag Registry, and offers advic ...

, designer of the

flag of Tristan da Cunha The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on 20 October 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II. The flag is a blue ensign design, defaced with the coat of arms of Tri ...

and others *

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentina, Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He to ...

, designer of the

flag of Argentina The national flag of the Argentine Republic, often referred to as the Argentine flag (), is a triband (flag), triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reas ...

* Frederick 'Fred' Brownell, designer of the flags of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Ron Cobb Ronald Ray Cobb (September 21, 1937 – September 21, 2020) was an American–Australian artist. In addition to his work as an editorial cartoonist, he contributed concept art to major films including '' Dark Star'' (1974), ''Star Wars'' (1977), ...

, designer of the American Ecology Flag * John Eisenmann, designer of the flag of the U.S. state of Ohio *

Mohamed Hamzah Mohamed bin Hamzah (; 5 March 1918 – 19 February 1993) was a Malaysian Vexillography , vexillographer, soldier and architect. He was the designer of the ''Jalur Gemilang'', which is the current Flag of Malaysia, national flag of Malaysia. H ...

, designer of the

flag of Malaya This is a list of flags used in Malaysia. National flags Monarch Governor Military Law Enforcement Flags Administrative divisions States Federal territories A common flag for the three federal territories was adopted by the ...

Quamrul Hassan Quamrul Hassan (; 2 December 1921– 2 February 1988) was a Bangladeshi artist. Quamrul Hassan is referred to in Bangladesh as Potua, a word usually associated with folk artists, due to his down to earth style yet very modern in nature as he ...

, designer of the

flag of Bangladesh The national flag of Bangladesh, nicknamed ''Lal–Sobuj'' (), was adopted officially on 17 January 1972. It consists of a red circle on top of a dark green banner. The red circle is offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appears centred whe ...

* Cederic Herbert, designer of the flag of the short-lived

Zimbabwe Rhodesia Zimbabwe Rhodesia (), alternatively known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, also informally known as Zimbabwe or Rhodesia, was a short-lived unrecognised sovereign state that existed from 1 June 1979 to 18 April 1980, though it lacked international recog ...

Francis Hopkinson Francis Hopkinson (October 2,Hopkinson was born on September 21, 1737, according to the then-used Julian calendar (old style). In 1752, however, Great Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar (new style) which moved Hopkinson's ...

, generally acknowledged designer of the

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...

, designer of a

koru flag A koru flag was Vexillography, designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1983 and New Zealand flag debate, proposed as a secondary flag for New Zealand. Overview As black is a traditional colour of the Māori people, Māori, the flag has a blac ...

, among others * Susan K. Huhume, designer of the flag of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Sharif Hussein Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi ( ; 1 May 18544 June 1931) was an Arab leader from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after proclaiming the Great Arab Revolt against ...

, designer of the flag of the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ), also known as the Great Arab Revolt ( ), was an armed uprising by the Hashemite-led Arabs of the Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire amidst the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Co ...

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

, designer of the first

flag of Great Britain The flag of Great Britain, often referred to as the King's Colour, first Union Flag, Union Jack, and Flag of the United Kingdom, British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of the Kingdom ...

* Syed Amir-uddin Kedwaii, designer of the

flag of Pakistan The national flag of Pakistan, also known as the Flag of the Star and Crescent (), is made up of a green field with a stylized tilted white descending Star and crescent, crescent moon and five-pointed star at its centre, and a vertical white st ...

Lu Haodong Lu Zhonggui (30 September 1868 – 7 November 1895), courtesy name Xianxiang, better known by his art name Lu Haodong, was a Chinese revolutionary who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for designing the Blue Sky with a White Sun ...

, designer of the

Blue Sky with a White Sun The Blue Sky with a White Sun ( zh , t = 青天白日 , p = Qīngtiān Báirì ) is the national emblem of the Taiwan, Republic of China, both during its history in Republic of China (1912–1949), mainland China and on History of Taiwan (1945–p ...

flag of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Nicola Marschall Nicola Marschall (March 16, 1829 – February 24, 1917) was a German-American artist who supported the Confederate States of America, Confederate cause during the American Civil War. He designed the original Confederate flag, the Flags of t ...

, designer of the " Stars and Bars", the First National Flag of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

* John McConnell, designer of a flag of the Earth * Fredrik Meltzer, designer of the

flag of Norway The national flag of Norway (; ; ) is red with a navy blue Scandinavian cross bordered in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the ''Dannebrog'', the flag of De ...

Raimundo Teixeira Mendes Raimundo Teixeira Mendes (5 January 1855 – 28 June 1927) was a Brazilian philosopher and mathematician. He is credited with creating the national motto, "Order and Progress", as well as Flag of Brazil, the national flag on which it appea ...

, designer of the

flag of Brazil The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky (which includes the Crux, Southern Cross) spanned by a curved band inscribed with the List of national mottos, national motto ('Order and Progress'), within a yellow rhombus, on ...

* William Porcher Miles, designer of the battle flag of the Confederate States of America *

Francisco de Miranda Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the French R ...

, designer of the

flag of Venezuela The current national flag of Venezuela () was introduced in 2006. The basic design includes a horizontal tricolour of yellow, blue, and red, dating to the original flag introduced in 1811, in the Venezuelan War of Independence. Further modifica ...

, upon which the present flags of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

are based. *

Theodosia Okoh Theodosia Salome Okoh (born 13 June 1922 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian teacher and artist known for designing Ghana's national flag in 1957. She exhibited her artwork internationally. She also played a leading role in the development of ho ...

, designer of the

flag of Ghana The national flag of Ghana consists of a horizontal triband of red, yellow, and green. It replaced the British Gold Coast's Blue Ensign. The flag, which was adopted upon the independence of the Dominion of Ghana on 6 March 1957, was designe ...

Christopher Pratt John Christopher Pratt (December 9, 1935 – June 5, 2022) was one of Canada's most prominent painters and printmakers.

, designer of the flag of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador * Orren Randolph Smith, citizen of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

who is co-credited as being the father of the "Stars and Bars" flag, along with Nicola Marschall. *

Whitney Smith Whitney Smith Jr. (February 26, 1940 – November 17, 2016) was an American vexillologist. He coined the term ''vexillology'', which refers to the scholarly analysis of all aspects of flags. He was a founder of several vexillology organizat ...

, designer of the

flag of Guyana The flag of Guyana, known as the Golden Arrowhead, has been the national flag of Guyana since May 1966, when the country became independent from the United Kingdom. It was designed by Whitney Smith, an American vexillologist (though originall ...

and other flags *

George Stanley Colonel George Francis Gillman Stanley (July 6, 1907September 13, 2002) was a Canadian author, soldier, historian at Mount Allison University, public servant, and designer of the Canadian Flag. Early life and education George F. G. Stanley was ...

, designer of the

flag of Canada The National Flag of Canada (), popularly referred to as The Maple Leaf or l'Unifolié (), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf Charge (hera ...

Joaquín Suárez Joaquín Luis Miguel Suárez de Rondelo (August 18, 1781 in Canelones – December 26, 1868 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan politician. Head of State of Uruguay In December 1828, Suárez served as the first head of state of the territory t ...

, designer of the

flag of Uruguay The national flag of Uruguay (), officially known as the National Pavilion (), is one of the three official flags of Uruguay along with the Artigas flag and the flag of the Treinta y Tres. It has a field of nine equal horizontal stripes altern ...

Pingali Venkayya Pingali Venkayya (2 August 1876/8 – 4 July 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter, known for designing the initial version of the Flag of India, Indian National Flag. Apart from his role in the independence movement, Venkayya was a Lecturer#Ind ...

, designer of the

flag of India The national flag of India, Colloquialism, colloquially called Tiraṅgā (the tricolour), is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India Saffron (color)#Political & religious uses, saffron, white and Variations of gree ...

* Robert Watt, designer of the flag of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada *

Oliver Wolcott Jr. Oliver Wolcott Jr. (January 11, 1760 – June 1, 1833) was an American politician and judge. He was the second United States Secretary of the Treasury, a judge of the United States circuit court, United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit ...

, designer of the flag of the

United States Customs Service The United States Customs Service was a federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted criminal in ...

Zeng Liansong Zeng Liansong (; 17 December 1917 – 19 October 1999) was a Chinese supply chain manager and secret agent of the Chinese Communist Party best known for designing the flag of the People's Republic of China. He also served as the deputy manager ...

, designer of the

flag of the People's Republic of China The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off t ...

İsmet Güney İsmet Güney (15 July 1923 – 23 June 2009) was a Turkish Cypriot artist, cartoonist, teacher and painter. He is best known as the designer of the modern flag of the Republic of Cyprus, the country's coat of arms and the original Cyprus lir ...

, designer of the

flag of Cyprus The flag of Cyprus (; ) came into use on 16 August 1960, under the Zürich and London Agreements, whereby a constitution was drafted and Cyprus was proclaimed an independent state. The flag was designed by Turkish Cypriot artist İsmet Güney. T ...

* Nguyen Huu Tien, designer of the

flag of Vietnam The national flag of Vietnam, formally the National flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( Vietnamese: ), locally recognized as the golden-starred red banner () or the Fatherland flag (), was designed in 1940 and used during a failed commun ...

* Gilbert Baker, designer of the

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

symbol of the

LGBT Movement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their i ...

* Alexander Baretich, designer of the Cascadian bioregional flag AKA Doug flag * Ralph Eugene Diffendorfer, co-designer of the Christian Flag *

Christopher Gadsden Christopher Gadsden (February 16, 1724 – August 28, 1805) was an American politician who was the principal leader of the South Carolina Patriot movement during the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, a brigadie ...

, designer of the

Gadsden flag The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words Dont Tread on Me. Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe in th ...

Monica Helms Monica F. Helms (born March 8, 1951) is an American transgender activist, author, and veteran of the United States Navy. She created the best-known Transgender flag#Helms' design, transgender flag. Education Helms received a General AA Degree ...

, designer of the

Transgender flag The transgender flag, also called the transgender pride flag, is used by people, organizations and communities to represent LGBT pride, pride, diversity, Transgenderism (social movement), rights and/or Transgender Day of Remembrance, remembran ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, designer of the

flag of Nazi Germany The flag of Nazi Germany, officially called the Reich and National Flag (), and also known as the Nazi flag or swastika flag ( – ) featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disk. This flag came into use initially as the banner ...

, the ''

Reichskriegsflagge The term (, ) refers to several war flags and war ensigns used by the German armed forces in history. A total of eight different designs were used in 1848–1849 and between 1867–1871 and 1945. Today the term refers usually to the flag from ...

'' and his personal standard *

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn a ...

, designer, according to legend, of the

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

* Theodore Sizer, designed of the flag of St. Louis * Gerard Slevin, former Chief Herald of Ireland reputed to have helped design the

flag of Europe The flag of Europe or European flag consists of twelve Or (heraldry), golden stars forming a Circle of stars, circle on a Azure (heraldry), blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the who ...

. *

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

, 1st president of the Republic of the Philippines, along with the designer of the countries' flag.

Notes

{{Vexillology