Obverse and Reverse

The obverse is the front of a flag, the side you see when the pole is on your left. The reverse is the back. On most flags the reverse is a mirror image of the obverse, but a few flags have a different design on each side.

Paraguay is the best-known example. Its flag shows the national coat of arms on the obverse and the treasury seal, a lion under a liberty cap, on the reverse. Most other flags either look the same from both sides or simply show a mirror image.

Mirroring matters when you print. A single-sided flag shows text backward on the reverse, which is one reason NAVA advises no lettering. Design the obverse in the flag maker and use the flip tool to check how it reads from behind. The custom flag printing guide covers single and double-sided printing.