Vexillology

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word 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.

The term was coined in 1957 by the American scholar Whitney Smith, the author of many books and articles on the subject. It was originally considered a sub-discipline of heraldry, and is still occasionally seen as such. It is sometimes considered a branch of semiotics. [ [http://convention.allacademic.com/nca2003/view_paper_info.html?pub_id=998&part_id1=91216] ] 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 a person who designs flags is a "vexillographer".

Every second year FIAV organizes the International Congress of Vexillology (ICV). The 2007 ICV was in Berlin, Germany; the 2009 ICV will be in Yokohama, Japan. Internet activity of vexillologists is centered on the Flags of the World website and mailing list.

Flag Identification Symbols (FIS)

The Flag Identification System was created by Whitney Smith and adopted by FIAV.

The first row represents use on land and the second use on water, each divided into private (civil), government (state), and military (war) use.

There are 63 representing symbols that can describe the flag, including:

Other symbols are used to describe other aspects of the usage of the flag, such as official status and which side of the flag is being shown. The ones in general use are:

* Normal or "de jure" version of flag, or obverse side
* Design proposed but not officially adopted
* Design is a reconstruction based on observations
* Reverse side of flag
* Design is an acceptable variant
* Alternative version of flag
* "De facto" version of flag
* Flag has different designs on its obverse side and its reverse side
* Obverse side meant to be hoisted with pole to the observer's right
* Design officially authorized to represent nation by government of that nation
* Design used in the past, but now abandoned (not part of Smith's original set)
* Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
* Reverse side is congruent with obverse side
* Information on reverse side is not available
* Flag can be hung vertically by hoisting on a normal pole, then turning the pole 90°
* Flag can be hung vertically by rotating the design first
* Vertical hoist method of flag is unknown
* Design has no element that can be rotated
* Flag can be hoisted vertically only

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: logos are predominantly still images to be read off a page, screen, or billboard, while 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 colours, the Pan-Arab colors, the Pan-Slavic colours, the Nordic Cross and the Ottoman flag.

Certain cultures prescribe the proper design of flags, through heraldic or other authoritative systems. 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 [http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/GFBF/index.html 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.

Vexillologists

* Graham Bartram, Chief Vexillologist of the Flag Institute, and Secretary-General for Congresses of FIAV
* Bruce Berry, founder member of the Southern African Vexillological Association (SAVA), editor of the "SAVA Journal" and "SAVA Newsletter", and collector of Rhodesian and South African flags
* William Crampton, founder of the Flag Institute
* Marc Leepson, author of "Flag: An American Biography"
* 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

Vexillographers

* Emilio Aguinaldo, designer of the flag of the Philippines
* Sharif Hussein, designer of the flag of the Arab Revolt
* Luis and Sabino Arana, designers of the Ikurriña (the flag of the Basque Country)
* Graham Bartram, designer of the flag of Tristan da Cunha and others
* Manuel Belgrano, designer of the flag of Argentina
* Frederick 'Fred' Brownell, designer of the flags of South Africa and Namibia
* Ron Cobb, designer of the American Ecology Flag
* John Eisemann, designer of the flag of the U.S. state 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
* Cederic Herbert, designer of the flag of the short-lived Zimbabwe Rhodesia
* Adolf Hitler, designer of the Flag of Nazi Germany, the "Reichskriegsflagge" and his personal standard.
* Francis Hopkinson, designer (according to some historians) of the American flag
* Syed Amir-uddin Kedwaii, designer of the flag of Pakistan
* Lu Hao-tung, designer of the Blue Sky with a White Sun flag of the Republic of China
* King James I of England, designer of the first flag of Great Britain.
* John McConnell, designer of the Earth flag
* Fredrik Meltzer, designer of the flag of Norway
* Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, designer of the flag of Brazil
* William Porcher Miles, designer of the battle flag of the Confederate States of America
* Francisco de Miranda, designer of the flag of Venezuela
* Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designer of the Koru Flag among others
* Theodosia Okoh, designer of the flag of Ghana
* Christopher Pratt, designer of the flag of the Canadian province 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
* Joaquín Suárez, designer of the flag of Uruguay
* Robert Watt, designer of the Flag of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
* Oliver Wolcott, Jr., designer of the flag of the United States Customs Service
* Zeng Liansong, designer of the flag of the People's Republic of China

References

ee also

* Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques
* Flag
* Flag Institute (U.K.)
* Flagmaster
* Flag terminology
* Flags of the World
* Heraldry
* Nordic Flag Society
* North American Vexillological Association
* Sociedad Española de Vexilología
* Tincture (heraldry)
* William Crampton Library

External links

* [http://www.flags.net/ World Flag Database]
* [http://www.flagresearchcenter.com/ Flag Research Center (U.S.)]
* [http://www.flaggenkunde.de Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde (Germany)]
* [http://www.funcidec.org.ar/c_vexilobaires1.htm ICV 2005 at Buenos Aires, Argentina]
* [http://flagsforum.skalman.nu Flags Forum] , discussion forum on vexillology