What's in a Flag's Design?

At their simplest level, national flags are banners that express pride and loyalty. But if you take a closer look, a flag is a fascinating representation of a nation’s identity—from the colors and symbols used to the overall layout.

“It's a very simple piece of design, and yet there are so many stories in it,” says Jeppe Morgenstjerne, a co-founder of the Denmark-based design agency Ferdio. “It’s telling of how the world has progressed.” He and fellow co-founder Birger Morgenstjerne recently created “Flag Stories,” an extensively detailed infographic breaking down the flag designs of the nearly 200 U.N.-recognized countries. The team studied everything from the most common colors used to the varying levels of complexity of the world’s flags.