Flags have been used by different groups and countries for hundreds (if not thousands) of years to represent specific places and people.
Today, every country in the world flies a flag that means something to the people who live there.
Many organizations and sports teams also have distinguishing flags that members or followers fly to show their allegiance.
There’s a lot more to designing a flag than simply picking colors that work well together– colors are often carefully chosen to embody the values, history, and even moral standing of the places or people the flags represent.
Let’s take a closer look at the different flag colors and their meanings.
At BestFlag, we love making custom flags and being part of the story they tell. Over the years, we’ve created flags for all sorts of occasions, from cheering on professional sports teams to celebrating a personal achievement. Contact our helpful team for more information or to get your flag project underway.
General Color Meanings in Flags
While each country or organization generally has its own interpretation of the colors they’ve chosen for their flag, there are some universally accepted meanings behind the colors.
Black
Commonly used to represent mourning or death, in flags black can be used to represent defeated enemies, ethnicity, or determination. It’s also associated with power and strength.
White
The international symbol for peace, white is often used during times of war to surrender or call a truce. It’s also associated with purity, innocence, and harmony. In many countries, it’s the color of death.
Red
This color is often used to signify war, revolution, power, and vibrancy due to its similarity to blood. It’s also associated with domination and courage. In some instances, it’s used to denote danger.
Blue
Signifying good fortune, liberation, determination, and wisdom, blue is also often associated with calmness and tranquility. In flags, it’s often used to denote water and/or the sky.
Green
Often used to represent nature or agricultural abundance in flags, green is also associated with fertility and prosperity. It has also been connected with youthfulness, hope, and safety.
Yellow
This color is often used to signify wealth (as it’s similar to gold) and energy (due to its relationship with the sun). Many people also use yellow to represent happiness and it can be used in warning.
Orange
The color of courage and sacrifice, orange has been associated with revolutionary ideas in the past. It’s believed to stand for joy, creativity, strength, passion, and enthusiasm.
Purple
As the color of passion and wealth, purple is often associated with luxury and elegance. It can also be used to symbolize power and independence. It’s only used in a few country flags.
Country Flags and Their Colors
Now, let’s take a look at some notable flags for specific countries and the significance of the colors they have chosen.
United States of America
In this iconic flag, red was chosen to represent valor, bravery, and courage; white for innocence and purity; and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Italy
The green in this flag represents the country’s plains and hills, the white represents its snow-covered Alps, and the red represents the blood shed during their fight for independence.
China
Red was chosen as the predominant color for this flag to represent communism (and it’s also associated with good luck in China), while yellow was chosen to represent their ethnicity.
Germany
The current German flag is based on the colors of the soldiers’ uniforms during the Napoleonic wars in the 19th century. They wore black coats with red braids and gold buttons.
India
The orange color (which Indians refer to as saffron) stands for courage, white stands for sacrifice and purity, and green was chosen to represent faith and fertility.
South Africa
One of the most colorful flags in the world, red represents bloodshed during times of war, white represents their white ethnicity, black represents their black ethnicity, blue represents the spirit of the people along with the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, green represents the land, and yellow represents gold.
Choose Flag Colors That Tell Your Story
The colors chosen for every country or organization’s flag carry great weight and significance, from a visual representation of their values to reminders of their history.
The next time you’re designing a custom flag for your group or organization, be sure to take care in choosing colors that represent who you are and what you stand for. The team at BestFlag would love to help you create a flag that embodies your story – get in touch with us today.
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