NOTE: MAJOR UPDATE, CHARGES NOW DIVIDED INTO FIXED AND MOBILE, LATTER MOVED TO ANNEX GALLERY

This gallery uses as its organizing rubric a set of terms and concepts derived mostly from the Western heraldic tradition. The main sets of these terms are five: #Divisions of the field, #Variations of the field, Charges, #Variations of Charges, and #Lines of division and variation. (The sixth main set, #Overall Shape of the Flag (Nonrectangular variants) is mainly not derived from heraldic tradition.) The advantage of this approach is that flag design (vexillography) in Greater Europe and its former colonies is largely an adaptation of the conventions of Western heraldry used to decorate shields as markers of identity. The heraldic tradition provides an elaborated and intricated set of terms whose scope is far greater than those that have been developed from the study of flags alone, without reference to the traditions from which it derives. This set of terms allows us to recognize, and thus think and discuss a great variety of individual flag elements. It allows us to parse complex designs into their constituent components. A disadvantage is that it is less appropriate to flag designs that derive from other traditions, such as Japanese prefectural and municipal flags, Liberian county flags, and newer genres of design derived from corporate logos, etc.

The purpose of the gallery is to serve as an aid to the practice of flag design and for the study and teaching of flag design, flag history and geography, etc. Items have been selected because they are the most well known, the most representative, or particularly unique, interesting, well-executed or illustrative examples of the incorporation of particular (often heraldic) elements into flag design. The aim is to sketch out a space of possibility for design with these elements rather than to provide an exhaustive listing of all instances.

For the purposes of identification, where possible, links will be provided to more specialized galleries and category pages that have more comprehensive listings. This latter work is ongoing.

NOTE: Because of size limitations, this gallery contains only fixed charges - a term introduced here for what in heraldry are termed ordinaries and sub-ordinaries. These charges either span the length and breadth of the field or fixed to an edge of the field, typically spanning the length or breadth of that edge. The exception are the charged plain fields, these feature mobile charges. The annex gallery, Gallery of flags by design II: Mobile charges, catalogues mobile charges, those that can be placed anywhere on the field. It also contains sections on the arrangement and orientation of the placement of mobile charges on the field.

NOTE: Azure here refers to the modern color specification of azure, not heraldic 'azure'.

Note: Refer also to the heraldic ticture tenné

Note: For 'unequal width vertical biband', see #Sides

Note: For 'unequal width horizontal biband', see #Chief and #Terrace in base (Champagne)

See also #Triangle at hoist with equal height triband field

Note: Center band is equal to half the height of the hoist.

See also #Unequal width horizontal multiband > #Pentaband and more

*Term introduced here, by reference to 'Spanish fess': an unequal triband with an upper band 1/2 the height of the hoist, and two lower bands each 1/4 the height of the hoist.

See also #Terrace in base (Champagne)

*Term introduced here, by reference to 'Spanish fess'. An unequal height triband with center band 1/5 the height of the hoist, upper and lower bands each 2/5's height of hoist.

Fimbriated (or filleted) fess

Fimbriated (or filleted) horizontal biband and adjacent

Other unequal horizontal triband, narrower center band, bicolor

Other unequal horizontal triband, narrower center band, tricolor

See also #Charges > #Fess and #Triangle at hoist with unequal height triband field

Note: See also #Terrace in base (Champagne)

See also #Charges > #Fess

See also #Charges > #Ordinaries > #Sides > #Hoist-wise side* (Side dexter, adextré, adiestrado)

For other diagonally trisected, quadrisected, etc. flags, see #Charges > #Ordinaries > #Bend below. See also #Variations of the field > #Stripes > #Diagonal (bendy).

*Term introduced here
See also #Triangular panel

See also Gallery of quartered flags#Orthogonal and #Charges > #Canton with quartered field

Note: Piles or triangles at the hoist with plain and biband fields are classed in heraldry as divisions of the field ('Party per chevron' and 'Party per pall'), but for the purposes of this gallery all Piles are classed as #Fixed Charges. See #Pile

See also #Lines of division and variation > #Wavy/undy and #Enarched/embowed
Note: the lines of division or variation producing this division of the field is known as serpentine in South African and other heraldic nomenclatures.

This list is incomplete - for a more complete listing refer to Gallery of striped flags

For rainbow flags, see #Divisions of the field > #Horizontal (Per fess) > #Multiband, horizontal

Note: For lozenges as mobile charges, see Gallery of flags by design II: Mobile charges#Diamond (rhomboid/lozenge)

For the Flag of the Seychelles and similar, see #Divisions of the field > #Triangle as division of the field > #Pile throughout

See also #Diapering as variation of field

Note: In European heraldry, 'furs' such as ermine and vair are technically tinctures (colors) and not variations of the field. However, in form they resemble variations of the field and so are placed here.

Note: Some examples below are variations of charges, charges erminée - charges such as cantons, chiefs, crosses, sides, bends, bordures, wedges, escutcheons, etc. And in some, the ermine spot is itself treated as a charge.

Note: Like the ermine above, in European heraldry the vair is technically not a variation of the field but a 'tincture' (color) of a particular type - a 'fur'. Note also that for some examples below, vair is used as variation of charge, etc.

See also #Nebuly, below.

See also #Charges > #Shapes > #Triangle
See also Japanese uroko pattern

See also #Semé

Note: Some of these lines vary #Divisions of the field and some #Charges and #Variations of charges.

Note: Not a traditional heraldic variation of the field.

See also #Divisions of the field > #Triband, vertical (Tierced in pale), above

See also #Bicolor equal height horizontal triband and #Unequal height horizontal triband

*Term introduced here. See also #Bar gemel.

*Term introduced here. See also #Bar gemel.

*Term introduced here. See also #Bar gemel.

See also #Bar gemel

For flags with diagonally bisected fields (bicolor fields divided diagonally), see #Divisions of the field > #Diagonal (Per bend), above

See also Category:Flags with crosses (symmetric) and Flags with saints' crosses

See also #Saltire below

See also #Overall Shape of the Flag (Nonrectangular variants), below, for swallowtail variants.
For a fuller list see Nordic cross flag

See also Category:Flags with saltires and w:Category:Saltire flags and #Symmetric + Saltire (above)

For other flags with equal-armed saltorels, see #Flanchis above.

See also Gallery of flags with cantons

See also #Divisions of the field > #Quartered (Party per cross)

For a breakdown of cantons by national flag, see Gallery of flags with cantons and Flags based on British ensigns

See also #Divisions of the field > #Tripart (aka 'Tribar', coupé mi-parti) above.
*Term introduced here, as flags are typically double-sided and mobile rather than fixed (equivalent heraldic terms in parentheses). Hoist is at left unless otherwise noted.

*Term introduced here, as flags are typically double-sided and mobile rather than fixed (equivalent heraldic terms in parentheses). Fly is at right unless otherwise noted.

See also #Triband, horizontal (Tierced in fess) > #Equal height horizontal triband

See also #Unequal height horizontal triband

NB: these examples resemble the heraldic piles in point, and are often classed as rays.

See heraldic 'esquire'
See also #Charges > #Gusset, #Chevron and #Concave kite ('arrowhead', 'dart', 'V') below.

See also #Charges > #Shapes > #Triangle and #Variations of the field > #Chevronny and #Pile throughout

Note: This is not a traditional heraldic ordinary, but is particular to vexillography. In many cases, it can also be thought of as the superimposition of a wedge upon a pile, or alternately blazoned as a double party per chevron type division of the field. It shares that with the chevron, so it is placed here.
See also #Maltese cross / St. John's Cross and Gallery of flags by design, Annex: Figurative-realistic charges > #Arrowhead
See also Concave kite as mobile charge

See also #Charges > #Pall

Note: these shapes, with the exception of the pentagon as a divsion of the field, are not traditional heraldic ordinaries

See also #Forked cross

*Term introduced here for field-spanning charge resembling a simple tau or Saint Anthony's cross, often appearing to represent the letter tau or 't'. In French heraldry, the flag of Tarn would likely be blazoned 'chef-pal', or 'chief-pale', the others possibly 'flanc-fasce', or 'side-fess'.
See also #Tau cross

See also #Cross parted and fretted

Note: for Label and Flaunches, see Gallery of flags by design II > #Mobile charges > #Heraldry-derived charges > #Label and #Flaunches

Note: fimbriation can also be used to offset #Divisions of the field, #Variations of the field and other #Variations of charges, in addition to #Charges.

Some of these are sometimes regarded as cases of #Voiding

See also #Cottising and #Adjacent to resarcelé

See also #Resarcelé and #Cottising overlaying fimbriation or other elements

See also #Fimbriated charges that are the same color as the field

See also #Adjacent to resarcelé and #Triple fimbriation

NB: In French heraldry, to be 'resarcelé' is to be an ordinary that is charged with an orle. Sometimes cottising is descriptively blazoned as 'resarcelée du champ' - charged by an orle 'of the field'. (See Leduc de Nirvède). And, in at least one instance, the fimbriation of a charge that is the same color as the field is blazoned 'resarcelée'. But the term alone and in most contexts refers neither to cottising nor fimbriation as such.

Flags that feature an inner line of variation that does not trace the full outer border of the charge. In French heraldry, they could be blazoned as resarcelée. In Anglophone vexillology, some prefer the term 'double-fimbriated'

See also #Double fimbriation

See also #Nowy gabled

See #Gyronnée / Gyronny as variation of charge

See aslo #Faceting via gyronée above and #Counterchanging below.
Note: Gyronnée/gyronny is a means sometimes used to create the effect of faceting. But, it is not the only means, nor is the effect of gyronée always necessarily faceting.
For its use as a #Variation of the field, see #Gyronny

Note: Counterchanging can characterize the #Divisions of the field, #Variations of the field and other #Variations of charges as well as the #Charges themselves.

See also #Gyronnée / Gyronny as variation of charge and #Variations of the field > #Gyronny above.

See also #Cross parted and fretted and #Cross parted and otherwise interlaced
Note: The term 'parted' in blasonry is sometimes used to refer to voiding. See example.

Note: Variations of lines can affect #Divisions of the field, #Variations of the field, #Charges, and #Variations of Charges

See also #Bevilled

See also #Charges > #Estoile

See also #Bordure dancetted.

See also #Divisions of the field > #Wave
For a fuller listing, see also Category:Flags with wave patterns

See also #Engrailed

See also #Vair ancien/ondé (Wolkenfeh), above.

See also #Other wave form representations > #Engrailed wave

See also #Lines of division and variation > #Bevilled

Note: meander is not a traditional heraldic line but appears in contemporary vexillogy.

See also #Variation of the field > #Vair, above

See also #Fir-tree topped (Kuusikoro/Sapiné) and #Raguly and #Charges > #Lightning

See #Charges > #Embossing (Nowy)

See also #Charges > #Cross fleury, #Cross fleury fitchy, #Cross crosslet fleury (florencée), and #Fleur-de-lis

See also #Charges > # Trefoil (heraldic)

See also #Bevilled

See also #Shapes > #Bastionné polygon

See also #Embossing (Nowy)

* Term introduced here by reference to Antler crown

See also #Triangular swallowtail pennant and #Triangular double-pointed swallowtail pennant, below

See also #Descate below.

NB: Other terms like triangular-tongued also used. See also #Pennant/Pennon / #Triangular chamfered double swallowtail below.

See #Descate below

See also International Code of Signals numeral and other pennants.

See #Tapering pennant above

See #Swallowtail > #Chamfered double swallowtail and #Pennant/Pennon > #Triangular swallowtail pennant

See #Chamfered, #Swallowtail > #Chamfered double swallowtail, #Gonfalon > #Chamfered double swallowtailed, and #Pennant/Pennon > #Triangular swallowtail pennant

See also #Gonfalon > #Multi-tailed below

See also #Streamer above

For an ogival-shaped division of the field, see the flag of Cedar Rapids, Iowa above in #Lines of division and variation > #Enarched/embowed

See #Chamfered swallowtail above

See #Chamfered swallowtail

See also List of non-rectangular flags and List of aspect ratios of national flags

See also List of aspect ratios of national flags

See also List of flags by color combination

See also Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse