Charge

A charge is a figure or symbol placed on the field of a flag, such as a star, a sun, an animal or a coat of arms. The maple leaf on the flag of Canada is a charge. The word comes from heraldry.

Many strong flags have a single charge, often in the center or the canton. NAVA's principles suggest a simple symbol with meaning over a detailed seal, since a coat of arms or lettering gets hard to read from a distance. See what makes a good flag.

The Symbols tab in the flag maker holds a library of charges: stars, suns, moons, crowns, shields, animals, plants and tools. Each one can be recolored, resized, rotated and layered. You can also put your own picture on a flag from the Uploads tab. A thin outline around a charge is called fimbriation.