Vexillography is the art of flag design.
While national flags are easy to draw and recognize, a lot of work has been put into their design. It may take many vexillographers and even several years to design a simple national flag! However, governments and vexillographers alike are willing to put in this effort because the flag will serve as a symbol of their country and a source of patriotism.
Generally, a good national flag should follow these rules, though there are exceptions:
- The flag is simple enough for a child to draw.
- The flag uses two to five colors.
- The flag can be sewn or embroidered.
- The flag represents what it stands for.
The following is a basic tutorial on how to design a flag. Once you have designed a flag, you will be sure to find it a source of pride for the country you have created!
Flag Ratio[]
Let's start with a question.
Is this the American flag?
It is, isn't it? It has fifty white stars on a blue field, and thirteen stripes, seven red, six white. But, this is not the American flag. This is:
So, what's the difference? Well, notice that the flag on the bottom is wider than the flag on the top. Executive Order 10798, issued by United States president Dwight Eisenhower when Hawaii became the fiftieth U.S. state, defined the standard proportions of the flag to have a hoist (or height) of 1.0 units and a fly (or width) of 1.9 units.[1]
Every national flag has a similar standard proportion. This proportion is known as the flag ratio, and is expressed as a hoist-to-fly ratio. The American flag's flag ratio, for example, is 10:19.
But why are flag ratios important? Why should we care what the proportions of flags are?
Well, here's an example. Below are the flags of Monaco and Indonesia.
Notice that the only difference between these two flags is the flag ratio! In books and atlases, they usually tend to squish or stretch the flags to a 2:3 ratio… So, in books, we wouldn't be able to tell between the flags of Monaco and Indonesia!
Examples[]
The most common flag ratio is 2:3. Here are some flags with a 2:3 ratio.
Also common is the 1:2 ratio.
Here are some examples of less common ratios.
Colors[]
You want generally two to five colors on your flag. These colors usually represent something about your country. Choosing colors for your flag is very important, as the colors of the flag are usually what carries the most symbolism. Therefore, your choice of colors is an important aspect of your flag's artistic design.
Sometimes, the colors can represent things they are commonly associated with. For example, red usually means blood, and can represent the heart of the nation or the hardships of the people. White can mean purity, which can represent a high standard of living, a sense of morals, or freedom.
Often times the colors represent heritage. For example, in the Canadian flag, the red was taken from the royal emblem of the United Kingdom, and the white from the royal emblem of France, representing the two largest ethnic groups in Canada at the time. The black, gold, and red on the German flag came from the flag and coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire. The blue and red of the French flag are the traditional colors of Paris, while white is the traditional color of France.
Flag Types[]
When you boil it down, there are twelve different types of flags. Here they are:
If you want to see examples of these types of flags, I recommend you look at Wikipedia's gallery of flags organized by design type.
The Canton[]
A canton is any of the four quarters of a flag, but "the canton" usually refers to the most important one: the top-left corner (or the top-right if the flagpole happens to be on the right). The canton is the spot of honor on any national flag because when there is no wind and the flag is draping, this is the part of the flag that is always visible. Sometimes an emblem (known as a badge) can be placed in the canton. Often times, another flag is placed in the canton to show respect for what that flag represents. Here are some examples.
