The Flag Institute holds two conferences each year – and one of them is free.
- Our Spring Conference travels the UK each May – to Leicester in 2027, and most recently Bristol, York and London.
- Our Winter Conference and AGM runs online each November and costs nothing to attend.
Upcoming events
Flag Institute Winter ’26 Conference & AGM
*FREE & ONLINE* Saturday 14 November: BOOK HERE
Double take: How similar flags confuse viewers and blur national identity
- Carlos A. Morales-Ramirez, West Chester University, Pennsylvania,
National flags embody deep historical identities, yet closely matching designs often create modern cognitive confusion. Focusing on the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico, this study examines how everyday observers navigate visually similar national symbols. Using survey data from non-expert university students, the research investigates recognition accuracy, reliance on guesswork, and how viewers interpret shared geometry. Findings reveal that while intentional design mimicry successfully signals a shared 19th-century anti-colonial heritage, extreme visual similarity creates cognitive barriers that blur national sovereignty. This work highlights the delicate balance between historical unity and contemporary visual distinctiveness.
Dr Carlos A. Morales-Ramirez is Assistant Professor of Geography at West Chester University, Pennsylvania, co-editor of Middle States Geographer, and presenter of papers at ICV27 (London, 2017) and ICV31 (Paris, 2026).
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Roundels: The visual grammar of the OTHER flags in the sky
- Michael Green, founder and CEO, Flags for Good
Modern vexillology was born of a design problem: the need to find a means of identifying ships at distance. When aircraft emerged in the First World War, bringing additional factors of speed and orientation, this posed an even more complex design challenge. How could nations adapt their markings to make them recognisable from any angle on a chaotic aerial battlefield? This presentation documents the visual language produced by that process and demonstrates how this vexillological grammar continues to evolve across military and civilian contexts today.
Michael Green is the founder and CEO of Flags for Good, Technical Editor of The Complete Guide to Flags of the World, 4th edition, and a two-time TEDx speaker.
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The House of Flags Museum in America: Our journey to preserve history
- Robert Williamson, curator and executive director, House of Flags Museum
The history of the USA is frequently rewritten, ignored and/or misunderstood in today’s news media and educational institutions. The House of Flags Museum in Columbus, North Carolina was founded to help fill that void by using the nation’s flags to teach flag history and respect. With nearly 300 faithful replicas on display, US history comes alive as we explore why and how certain flags were created. Some sixty of these, from earliest colonial times through the American War for Independence, recount the ‘Birth of a Nation’. This session will explore the museum’s 25-year journey from 2001 to 2026.
Robert Williamson is the curator and executive director of the House of Flags Museum in Columbus, North Carolina.
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Flags of the city of Split through the ages
- Dr. Željko Heimer, president, FIAV and Croatian Heraldic and Vexillological Association
This presentation shows how the flags of the city of Split evolved from medieval times to the present, placing them within broader Croatian municipal vexillology. It outlines early depictions in portolans; Venetian-era symbols; and the 18th-century banner that hung from the city hall balcony. It highlights the pivotal adoption and use of the modern civic coat of arms and tricolour (1882–1929), socialist-era symbolic restraint, and post-1990s redesigns including the 1700th anniversary flag. The survey concludes with a quick overview of shipping, yachting, academic and military flags illustrating Split’s rich visual identity.
Dr Željko Heimer is president of the Fédération Internationale des Associations Vexillologiques (FIAV), and the Croatian Heraldic and Vexillological Association.
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Standards of German sovereigns 1871–1918: a comparative and evolutionary analysis
- Santiago Dotor, Spanish Vexillological Society (SEV)
This presentation addresses the standards of the emperor, kings, grand dukes, dukes and princes who ruled the territories of the German Empire (1871–1918). The analysis shows how standards evolved towards better vexillological models and common patterns, and studies the symbolism of the canton in relation to consorts.
Santiago Dotor is a member of the Spanish Vexillological Society (SEV).
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A new Northern Ireland flag: the history, meaning and future of an unrealised idea
- Dr David Mitchell, associate professor, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast
Should Northern Ireland get a new flag like other places that have undergone major political transitions? The question has persisted for decades. This talk traces the proposals for a new flag made from the early years of the peace process in the 1990s until 2026. Who has proposed such a flag, and why? David Mitchell’s research assesses the limited data on public attitudes to the issue, as well as the political and ideological meanings ascribed to the new, imagined flag. The future of the new flag debate is considered in the light of the prospect of Irish unity and demographic change.
Dr David Mitchell is Associate Professor, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast
Flag Institute Spring ’27 Conference
- Saturday & Sunday 15/16 May – Leicester, more details to follow
