Feather Flag Design Ideas—How To Turn Heads for Your Business

Custom-printed feather flags have emerged as some of the most effective and affordable types of eye-catching display businesses use to capture and direct the consumer's attention to its product or service. 

In this guide, we'll dive into the various design strategies you can employ to make your feather flags stand out. We'll discuss different size and color considerations, which factors affect the readability of your message, and how to design your own feather flag mockup online for free.

What Are Feather Flags?

Before we dive into the design strategies for your feather flags, let's remind ourselves what feather flags are. Feather flags are graphical banners approximately 8 to 16 feet tall and about a yard wide. 

They often feature a marketing message, a graphic, or a combination of both designed to draw the attention of potential customers. 

The banners are either slightly bowed at the top—shaped like a feather—or rectangular and usually held in place by one of two flexible flag poles. 

These are scaled-down versions of flag poles used in state flags, so you can typically expect at least two years of continuous use from them. 

When positioned outdoors, these flags bow down and rise back up with the wind. Their wave-like action, eye-catching colors, and text effectively capture attention and convey your message to potential customers. 

Rectangular banners are rectangular flags mounted on a single pole, performing the same function as feather flags. However, they're also mounted on two poles—one at each side—so they don't wave like feather flags. Instead, they flutter with the wind.

How To Design a Feather Flag

There are several considerations you need to take into account when designing a custom flag. However, you don't need to be a graphic design major to make a good flag design. You can get by with simple color matching, clever text, and a well-designed company logo.

Start with The Right Height & Size

Custom feather flags are typically made in three heights, though more can be made per custom measurement. The basic heights are 8 feet, 12.5 feet, and 16 feet in height. 

Selecting the right size for your feather flag affects the flag's visibility in different settings. Taller flags are more easily spotted from a distance, while shorter flags work better for indoor applications. 

Since the height directly affects the effectiveness of your feather flag, and thus the flag logo, flag text, and any meaningful symbolism, the height of your flag is dictated by the flag's position. Trade shows, auto display rooms, and shopping malls are ideal for shorter 8-foot-high flags. 

16-foot custom feather flags are almost always reserved for outdoor applications, as they work exceptionally well for drawing a consumer's attention a good distance away. 

12.5-foot-high flags are the in-between version; they're most commonly used outside for parking lots and drive bys, but they can also be used indoors, primarily in large commercial buildings with tall ceilings, like shopping malls.

Choose The Right Color

Choosing the right color scheme for your flag can significantly enhance its visual appeal and, thus, its effectiveness as an advertising tool. Colors are a great way of conveying emotions and ideas, so choosing a color palette that aligns with your business or brand is important. 

Complementary colors, opposite each other on the color wheel, often create a vibrant look, precisely what you want in your design. However, you should avoid combining similarly saturated colors—which are the hallmarks of bad flags. Instead, use contrasting colors to make your message pop out. 

Keep the color count to a minimum. Simple designs often work the best, so keep it simple. A single background color that contrasts nicely with the text conveying your message would work just fine—anything more than three colors can be overwhelming, undermining the advertising effort. 

The color should captivate attention from several feet away and drive focus toward the lettering or the company logo. 

Text, or any other graphic, should stand out against the background, and this is where contrasting colors come into play—relying on similarly bright and saturated colors will make the flag's images or text illegible unless you're but a few feet away from the flag.

Make Your Message Readable

The primary purpose of a feather flag is to convey a message, so readability—making sure that the font is simple and clear—is key. Avoid using intricate typography. While it looks nice on your new flag from up close, it's almost always illegible from a distance. 

Ensure there's at least some contrast between the text and the background. For example, a dark blue background would work nicely with white or light gray text color, while lighter blue backgrounds would match well with darker colors like black or dark grey. 

Lastly, consider the message that the flag's supposed to convey. Despite their size, flags have limited real estate. You can always put more text at the expense of font size and aesthetics. This is why it's essential to keep the design of your flag simple. 

Overloading the flag with text will make it look cluttered and visually unappealing, detracting from the main message. The simpler text allows for greater font size and keeps the flag design looking clean.

Do You Need Help Thinking of More Flag Ideas?

Designing an effective custom feather flag requires balancing various elements, such as the flag's height, color, and readability. It might initially seem overwhelming, but you can easily create a feather flag that commands attention and represents your brand. 

If you need further help designing and printing feather flags, don't hesitate to contact LookOurWay through our contact page. 

Alternatively, you can request a free mockup design: just provide us with the necessary details, such as a color scheme, text, logo design, and some design instructions, and our team will reach out with several design mockups for you to choose from. 

We also offer a comprehensive advertising and promotional material range, including air dancers, canopy tents, table covers, and various custom inflatables. So, check out our website and ensure your promotional material is ready before the next event.