Vexillology

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Flag of the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques.

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The term was coined in 1957 by Dr. Whitney Smith of the United States, the author of many books and articles on this subject. It was originally considered a sub-discipline of heraldry, and occasionally is still seen as such; it is also sometimes considered a branch of semiotics. [1] It is formally defined in the FIAV (Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques) constitution as "the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge."

A person who studies flags is a vexillologist, and by extension, a person who designs flags is a vexillographer.

The word vexillology is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum and the suffix –ology meaning "study of". The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era. Unlike most modern flags which are suspended from a pole or mast along a vertical side, the square vexillum was suspended from a horizontal crossbar along its top side, which was attached to a spear.

Vexillologists are active in dozens of national associations under the umbrella of FIAV (Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques). Every second year, FIAV organizes the International Congress of Vexillology (ICV 2005 was in Buenos Aires, Argentina; ICV 2007 will be in Berlin, Germany). Internet activity of vexillologists is centered on the Flags of the World website and mailing list.

1 Principles of flag design
2 Vexillologists
3 Vexillographers
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Principles 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.

First among the practical issues confronting a vexillographer is the necessity for the design to be manufactured (and often mass produced) into or onto a piece of cloth, which will subsequently be hoisted aloft in the outdoors to represent an organization, individual, or idea. In this respect, flag design departs considerably from logo design: whereas logos are predominantly still images to be read off a page, screen, or billboard, flags are alternately draped and fluttering images to be seen from a variety of distances and angles. The prevalence of simple bold colors and shapes in flag design attests to these practical issues.

Flag design is also a historical process in which current 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 colors, the Pan-Arab colors, the Pan-Slavic colors, and the national flags inspired by the flag of Turkey.

Certain cultures prescribe the proper design of flags, through heraldric or other authoritative systems. In certain cases, prescription may be based on religious principles; see, for example, Islamic flags. As a discipline, vexillology is beginning to promote design principles based on a body of research on flag history and design. Prominent examples are Ted Kaye's five Good Flag, Bad Flag principles published and endorsed by the North American Vexillological Association:

Keep It Simple: The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory.
Use Meaningful Symbolism: The flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes.
Use 2–3 Basic Colors: Limit the number of colors on the flag to three, which contrast well and come from the standard color set.
No Lettering or Seals: Never use writing of any kind or an organization’s seal.
Be Distinctive or Be Related: Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections.

[edit] Vexillologists

Graham Bartram, Chief Vexillologist of the Flag Institute, and Secretary-General for Congresses of FIAV
William Crampton, founder of the Flag Institute
Michel Lupant, current president of the FIAV
Ottfried Neubecker, most important German vexillologist, author of the German navy Flaggenbuch of 1939
George H. Preble, author in 1872 of the influential, if lore-filled, History of the American Flag
Rudolf Siegel, author of the influential book Die Flagge, published in 1912
Whitney Smith, founder of the Flag Research Center, editor of the Flag Bulletin, and coiner of the word "Vexillology" in 1957

[edit] Vexillographers

Emilio Aguinaldo, designer of the flag of the Philippines
Sabino Arana, designer of the Ikurriña (the flag of the Basques)
Graham Bartram, designer of the flag of Tristan da Cunha and others
Manuel Belgrano, designer of the flag of Argentina
Ron Cobb, designer of the American Ecology Flag
John Eisemann, designer of the flag of Ohio
Stephen Greeter (fictional), played by a chess piece in the fumetto Terror Island
Robert G. Heft, a designer of the 50-star canton for the American flag
Francis Hopkinson, designer (according to some historians) of the American flag
Sharif Hussein, designer of the flag of the Arab Revolt
Lu Hao-tung, designer of the Blue Sky with a White Sun flag of the Republic of China
John McConnell, designer of the Earth flag
Fredrik Meltzer, designer of the flag of Norway
Francisco de Miranda, designer of the flag of Venezuela
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designer of the Koru Flag among others
Christopher Pratt, designer of the flag of Newfoundland and Labrador
Betsy Ross, designer (according to legend) of the American flag
Gerard Slevin, former Chief Herald of Ireland reputed to have helped design the flag of the European Union
Whitney Smith, designer of the flag of Guyana and other flags
George Stanley, designer of the flag of Canada
Robert Watt, designer of the Flag of Vancouver, British Columbia
Zeng Liansong, designer of the flag of the People's Republic of China

Surprisingly, Adolf Hitler is said to have put incredible effort into designing the Nazi War Flag and his personal standard; in Inside the Third Reich, Albert Speer noted that these two projects were the only ones to which he devoted as much care as he did to his Obersalzberg house.