Flag design ideas: 12 layouts with real examples

A lot of the world’s flags are built from the same handful of layouts: bands, crosses, triangles, cantons and a single central symbol, mixed and matched with color. That’s good news if you’re looking for flag design ideas: you don’t need to invent a new structure, just pick a proven one and make it yours.

Below are 12 layout families, each with a real flag that uses it and a tip for adapting it. Each one maps to a starting pattern in the Layouts tab of the flag maker, so you can try them as you read.

1. Two bands (bicolour)

Two equal stripes, usually horizontal. It’s as simple as a flag gets. The North American Vexillological Association’s “Good Flag, Bad Flag” guide uses Ukraine as an example: light blue over yellow, read as sky over wheat fields.

The catch is that there are only so many color pairs. The same booklet points out that Indonesia and Monaco have the same red over white design, differing only in proportions. If you use two bands, add a symbol or pick an unusual pair.

2. Horizontal tricolor

Three equal horizontal bands. Germany’s flag is three bands of black, red and gold, set out in its flag regulation. India uses the same structure in saffron, white and green, with a navy wheel in the center band.

Tip: the middle band is a natural home for a symbol, as India shows.

3. Vertical tricolor

Three equal vertical bands. Ireland’s green, white and orange and Italy’s green, white and red follow this pattern. NAVA’s guide notes that Italy’s vertical stripes were based on the revolutionary flag of France.

Tip: vertical bands read clearly when a flag hangs straight down, as well as when it flies.

4. Nordic cross

A cross with its upright shifted toward the pole. The Flags of the World glossary calls it the Scandinavian cross, as seen in Scandinavian and Nordic flags. It’s a strong way to signal that a group of flags belongs together.

Tip: the bordered version, a cross outlined in a second color, gives you a third color without clutter.

5. Centered cross

A cross in the middle of the field. Switzerland’s white cross on red is the best known, and the Swiss government points out that its square shape is just as distinctive as the cross.

Tip: try the 1:1 square proportion with this one.

6. Saltire

A diagonal cross from corner to corner, forming an X. Jamaica’s flag is a gold saltire with green triangles at top and bottom and black triangles at the hoist and fly, according to the Jamaica Information Service.

Tip: a saltire creates four triangles, which gives you room for up to three colors without any symbol at all.

7. Canton

A block in the upper corner next to the pole. The US flag’s union, described in law as white stars in a blue field, is the most famous canton. NAVA calls this corner the point of honor because it stays visible when the flag hangs limp.

Tip: the canton is a good place for a small symbol that links your flag to a larger group, which is exactly how many flags use it.

8. Canton and stripes

Stripes with a canton on top, the layout of the US flag. NAVA’s guide notes that Liberia, founded by free African Americans, uses a similar but distinct design to reflect that heritage.

Tip: change the number of stripes, the canton color, or what sits in the canton, and the layout feels new.

9. Hoist triangle

A triangle that points in from the pole side. The Czech Republic’s flag is white over red with a blue triangle at the hoist reaching to the center, as Flags of the World describes it.

Tip: the triangle is a strong spot for a star or other small symbol. You can also combine it with three bands for a more complex look.

10. Diagonal band

A band running from one corner to the other. Tanzania’s flag has a black diagonal edged in yellow, with green toward the hoist and blue toward the fly, per Flags of the World.

Tip: diagonals feel more active than straight stripes. Edge a dark band in a light color so it doesn’t blend into the field.

11. Central symbol on a plain field

One field, one symbol. Japan’s flag is a red disc centered on white. NAVA’s guide holds up Bangladesh, a red disc on green set slightly toward the hoist, as a model of simplicity. Canada’s maple leaf on a central white square works the same way, framed by red on both sides.

Tip: this is the easiest layout to remember and the hardest to get right, because the symbol carries everything. Make it big and simple.

12. Quartered and bordered

A field split into four, or framed by a border. The Dominican Republic’s flag, which NAVA describes as having a white cross as “negative space” in the middle, divides the field into quarters of balanced color.

Tip: a border can tie a flag together, but NAVA’s guide warns about relying on it alone. Its example is West Virginia, whose flag differs from many other state flags only in its blue border.

Quick ideas by purpose

Making a flag for…	Try this
A fictional country	Tricolor or Nordic cross with one symbol. See the fictional country flag guide
A club or team	Two bands with a mascot animal from the Symbols tab
A family or house	Saltire or quartered, with a crown, shield or key
A neighborhood or town	Central symbol of a landmark, such as a bridge, lighthouse or tree
A game or D&D campaign	Canton layout, with each faction using a different canton symbol
A school or company	Your colors in two bands, with your logo added through Uploads

From idea to finished design in Flag Maker

1. Open the editor and pick a layout from the Layouts tab. The names match the families above: Two bands, Three bands, Vertical tricolor, Wide center band, Stripes, Nordic cross, Centered cross, Saltire, Canton, Canton and stripes, Hoist triangle, Diagonal split, Diagonal band, Quartered and Border.
2. Click each part of the layout to recolor it.
3. Add a symbol from Symbols or a shape from Shapes. Resize it, rotate it, flip it or duplicate it.
4. For your own logo or picture, use Uploads. The image stays in your browser.
5. Save each variation to My flags so you can compare them. Then download the one you like as PNG, JPG or SVG.

Once you have a draft, run it past the five principles in how to design a flag. For choosing colors, see flag colors and their meaning, and for the terms used above, parts of a flag and the glossary entries for the chevron and the vexillum.