The Most Common National Flag Colors

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Flag design is the most noticeable part of a flag. Colors on a flag are the most noticeable part of the flag design. As we know from the flag design principles, using two or three colors from the standard color wheel is a best practice when designing a flag. The most common national flag colors are red, white and blue. These colors can be used individually or together. Let’s take a look at some of the most common national flag colors and their individual meanings. We will not cover every national flag that uses red, white or blue – you can see flags of all color combinations in the credits section of this post.

Red

Tons (not literally) of flags use the color red as the main color in their flag design. Here are a few of the most notable ones.

Canada

The Canadian flag is incredible because it combines meaningful symbolism with simple color use. It is also one of the few national flags with only two colors. Red is one of Canada’s national colors and it represents hardiness, bravery, strength and valor.

China

Similar to the Canadian flag, the Chinese flag only uses two colors in its flag design. Red is a traditional color of Chinese culture, but the red on the Chinese flag represents the communist revolution.

Other notable flags that use red as the dominant color include: Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Spain, Turkey and Vietnam.

White

White is the most used color on a flag, but it is generally used as a secondary or complimentary color. Here are a few flags that prominently feature the color white.

Japan

The Japanese flag is one of the world’s most famous flags, but it is also one of the most simple flag designs. White on the flag represents honesty, purity and integrity.

Finland

The flag of Finland is one of the flags that have a similar design to other national flags. The white on the flag represents the snow that covers the entire country in the winter.

Blue

With so many shades of blue, flag designs use the color blue in a variety of ways.

Greece

The Greek flag is one of the busiest flag designs, with alternating stripes mixed in with a cross on a plain background. The white and blue on the flag represent the sea, sky, clouds and waves.

Australia

The Australian flag is another busy flag design, but it is also one of the most recognizable ones, mostly because of the Union Jack on the upper left quadrant of the flag. Blue on the flag represents vigilance, truth, justice and perseverance.

Other notable flags that use blue as the dominant color include: Argentina, Iceland, Palau, and Somalia.

Credit: Wikipedia