Confronting Tradition and Whim: The Design of United States Civic Flags

John M. Purcell, former NAVA president and Professor Emeritus at Cleveland State University--Cleveland, Ohio

Tracing the vexillographic history of municipal flags in the United States, the author identifies the sources of poor design and calls on NAVA to establish a formal body to assist cities and others in creating or replacing flags.

Good Flag, Bad Flag and the Great NAVA Flag Survey of 2001

Edward B. Kaye, managing editor of Raven--Portland, Oregon

NAVA’s flag survey put the word “vexillology” on the lips of tens of millions of people, as it publicized the best and the worst in state and provincial flag design. Good Flag, Bad Flag is part of the solution, condensing the best thinking on flag design into five basic principles in a short, usable format. Learn how NAVA’s website jumped from 100,000 hits per month to 100,000 hits per day.

Flags Granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority: An Analytical Profile

Auguste Vachon, Outaouais Herald Emeritus, Canadian Heraldic Authority--Hull, Québec

Inventorying all 214 flag grants by the Canadian Heraldic Authority though 1998, the former Saint-Laurent Herald and Registrar analyzes their design styles and recipients. He finds that Banners of Arms predominate, followed by Ensign Types and Canadian Pales, and that municipalities have received more flag grants than have corporations, institutions, or individuals.

The Michigan Flags Project

Kevin Harrington, president of the Canadian Flag Association and editor of Flagscan--Scarborough, Ontario

In an experiment to test vexillological finding aids and to locate access thresholds, the author (a former teacher and librarian) identifies seven steps to research at the state level using the cities of his southern neighbor, Michigan, as an example. This paper won the Driver Award at the 2000 NAVA annual meeting.

United Nations Flags and Poles

Gustavo Tracchia, Neubecker Laureate of the Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios Culturales--Kew Gardens, New York

As the United Nations has grown from 60 members in 1952 to 189 today, its headquarters in New York has constantly expanded and rearranged the poles displaying member flags. The challenges and solutions presented during this growth are documented extensively.