Banners & Flags

The Relationship between Banners and Flags

If you look at definitions from Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary, or the Cambridge English Dictionary, you will find that Banners and Flags are extremely similar in their definitions, and deservingly so as they share a lot of similarities. So similar that they can even be considered a synonym for one another. When examining these similarities we find that the common purpose between the two is that they both are used to communicate a belief, message, identity, or most often a combination of these. Both can stir emotion or demand attention and be used to unite groups or nations. But there are differences, and when you start looking at some of these differences you will start to notice the reasons they can be quite different.

Banners – The Less Glamorous Cousin of the Flag

The banner is the less glamorous of the two. One example of this would be the entry in the Wikipedia Vexillology Glossary for Banner as it reads “Generically, a synonym for a flag of any kind”. Banners today rely more on the delivery of a message, and can relay a more detailed message or identity while a flag relies more on a simple symbolism often relayed through color, shapes and of course symbols. Early banners relied on the same simple symbolism we see in flags, as they were displayed as military standards, Heraldic Banners and as religious banners. Banners today can relay this kind of symbolism, but they have also evolved to communicate more complex messages along with symbolism. One example of this would be early trade union banners that displayed complex messages through imagery and text. Banners are also used in sports to mark successful periods of a team‘s history. The Banner can include the dates, players involved, and the particular accomplishment. In advertising, vinyl banners are used as an inexpensive way to communicate a particular special, product or event. Socially banners are used to protest, profess, or inform using specific messages and images to communicate a cause. Even though flags can be used for these purposes as well, a banner can relay a more detailed message due to its stationary nature.

Flags – The Rock Star Of The Family

Probably only second to religious symbolism, the Flag can produce powerful emotions that can move people to weep, jubilation or even commit violence. Flags can also illicit strong feelings of pride, or induce fear and terror. Flags are able to accomplish all this without complex messages, and in the case of national flags a simple combination of colors can tell a story. Though most flags are a traditional rectangular shape, flags can be of a triangular shape like a pennant or tall with a blade like shape as is the case with the Feather or Swooper advertising flags. Flags are definitely the more glamorous of the two when compared to each other based on stately purpose and use.

Flags and Banners – Historic Partners Of Human Expression

This Blog will focus the role of these two throughout history, as well as their roles in today’s society. We will explore their power to unite, provoke thought, as well as their power to stir emotion, and pride.