Designing a teardrop flag can be a bit tricky because of its shape, because of its deceptively narrow working space, it can be difficult to put in all the information you’d like. Regardless of your skill level as a graphic designer, this guide may serve as a new perspective to approach teardrop flags. So here are some tips from Feather Flag Nation (FFN) on how to best make use of this type of flag.
1: Simplicity is Key
With such little space, it will work out for the better to break down your design to the most essential pieces. You likely won’t be able to fit in a tag line or caption without it appearing blurry or muddy from farther away. So, stick to the name or logo of the business, and to short phrases like “Now Open” or “Sale” Additionally, try to keep the graphics themselves simple. By that I mean to avoid subtle changes in tone and make gradient effects as clear as possible. This is because small details like that may not print clearly, as they may appear blurry or muddy. In the case of the gradients, they may not appear as color-changing at all if the colors are too similar.
2. Make The Design With The Shape, Not Against It
Unlike with a flag that is more wide than tall, it is not best to work from left to right, but from the top down or from the bottom up. As seen in these example pictures from our website, when designing, it may be beneficial to rotate the flag horizontally and work from there. Do not be afraid to rotate the text either, for some it may feel strange, but rotating the text to the go from the top of the curve of the flag makes it much easier to read.
3. Use Vectorized Graphics
When designing something that is going to be printed, it is very important to use vectorized logos and/or artwork. This is because vectorized files can be stretched to any size without losing quality. A non-vectorized image would blur or pixelate at larger or smaller sizes. This is because vectors are made from mathematical points on a graph that can adjust to any size. While pixels are fixed points that would have to be stretched or squished to fit any adjustments.
If you have access to adobe programs, files made in photoshop are pixel-based, and files made in Illustrator are vector based. If you’d like to check if something is a vector, you can usually tell if the file ends in .ap, .eps, or sometimes .pdf. Also, you could open the file in illustrator and press Ctrl+Y (Command+Y for mac) which only make the vector points visible. If you cannot get Adobe Illustrator, some alternatives are CorelDRAW, Affinity Designer, and Inkscape.
4. Use Pantones For Specific Colors
For some, specific colors aren’t that much of an issue. If you just need something simple such as a dark red, or a greenish blue, using a simple CMYK color code should work out fine. But colors can appear differently from screen to screen, and from material to material, even from printer to printer. So to avoid this, it is very common to use a Pantone. This is an index of colors used by almost all printing companies to make sure the color is consistent. There are many websites online that match the closest Pantone to whatever CMYK code you put in.
5. Keep in Mind The Flag's Purpose
Sometimes designers can get caught up in the details, and lose sight of the true task at hand. When in doubt, just remember the purpose of the flag. If it is meant to advertise, use bold text and bright colors so it is very noticeable, if it is meant to provide direction, make sure it is as clear as possible to read. Designing can be a complicated process, so it’s best to approach it as simply as possible and build from there if needed.
If you would like some reference to look at for some teardrop flags, you can check out our stock flag options here. Once you’re ready to start on your design, you can use our free templates using this link, or the link provided at the footer of our website featherflagnation.com. Once you’re ready to place your order, you can submit a free design request here. In that form, you can specify your design instructions, as well as upload any files you would want our design team to reference. If you’d like, you can also pay for the flag at the beginning, and work out the design afterward using this link. Don’t worry, you can still specify any instructions and upload files at the checkout page. For any more information, please call us at (877)-900-5692 or email us at sales@eatherflagnation.com.