House Flags: Designing a Custom Ensign for Your Family

Over the years, we’ve filled orders for hundreds of house flags and banners. Families use these to show hometown pride, support sports teams, celebrate holidays, or simply add a decorative element. 

We have a selection of pre-made flags and accept custom orders. Out of all of these orders, we’ve really enjoyed collaborating with families who work together to create their own family ensign that lasts for years. We have a few helpful tips if you’re planning in doing this for your house flag.

Get Inspired

How do you decide what you are going to put on your family ensign? Some families can easily create a design that truly represents their values, unity, and interests. Others need a bit more time to build something that each family member truly agrees on. If you and your family are in the process of designing an ensign, ask these questions:

• What are our shared spiritual or religious beliefs?
• Are there values that we all hold in common?
• Do we have any hobbies or passions that we engage in together?
• Is there anything in our genealogy or family story that belongs on this flag?
• Should the flag contain a symbol of our country of origin or hometown?

Another option is to have each family member work on one part of the flag design. That way, each person contributes some element. However, that can be challenging when it comes time to put things together. It may help to agree on some parameters, such as a color scheme.

Take Your Time and Enjoy the Process

There are likely going to be some different opinions and disagreements to settle. That’s okay. Ultimately, most families will find that this is a real bonding experience. We think you’ll enjoy coming up with a design that truly represents your family.

Choose the Right Construction Option

When we make custom flags, we give our customers a few choices. The simplest is cut vinyl, an excellent option for flags that will only contain letters or numbers. We also offer digital printing on nylon, a great choice for detailed logos and photographs. You can hang both cut vinyl and digitally printed flags inside or outside.

The third option is appliquéing. This flag involves the most work, as we hand sew the elements to the flag. We can make your appliquéing on a poly-twill fabric for indoor use and nylon for outdoor use. If you want a textured flag that will become a family heirloom, please consider this option.

If you are interested in creating a family flag, we are happy to help. Please contact us with any questions.