Custom Feather Flags & Flag Banners

The difference is the profile of the pole and the way the fabric hangs from it. A Straight Feather Fabric Flag has a vertical leading edge and the largest usable print area, which suits designs carrying more than one line of information. Convex and Concave Feather Fabric Flags curve out or in along the top, giving a softer silhouette that stands out when placed among straight flags. The Angled Feather Fabric Flag leans forward, which reads well when flags are approached from one direction, such as along an entrance drive.

A Teardrop Fabric Flag is tensioned along both the pole and its curved outer edge, so it keeps a fixed shape and barely flaps, which means the logo stays readable even in a breeze. A feather flag is fixed along the pole only, so it moves with the wind and the artwork is read intermittently as it turns. Choose teardrop when a logo must be legible at all times; choose feather when you want visible movement to catch the eye. Teardrops also look tidier on a still day, whereas a feather flag with no wind simply hangs.

On grass, a ground spike driven into the turf is the most secure and least obtrusive option, and it keeps the footprint clear. On tarmac and concrete a spike is useless, so you need a cross or plate base with weight on top of it — sand bags over the base are the usual answer, and one is rarely enough on an exposed pitch. Indoors, the base is about stability against people brushing past rather than wind, so a lighter setup is fine. Buy for the most difficult surface in your calendar, because the flag itself is identical either way.

Almost always because it is a single-sided print being viewed from the back. On a single-sided flag the design shows through in reverse and at reduced strength, which is tolerable for a simple logo but ruins text and any layout with a light background. A double-sided flag with a blockout layer between the two faces solves it, and lets you run different artwork on each side. If your flags will be seen from both approaches, which is normal at a show entrance, specify double-sided from the outset.

Keep everything critical in the top two thirds, because the lower part of a flag is regularly hidden by crowds, parked cars and the base itself. Allow for the pole sleeve down the leading edge, which takes several centimetres of width out of view, and never centre a logo so it straddles that edge. Aim for one message set as large as the shape allows, rather than a list of services nobody will read from a distance. Send your files over for free artwork assistance and we will supply a free 2D mockup showing the true print area.

Fraying starts at the trailing edge and at the top of the sleeve, and it is caused by the flag flogging in wind rather than by rain or sun. Make sure the swivel at the top is free so the flag can rotate downwind instead of being held broadside — a seized swivel can destroy a flag in a single windy weekend. Take flags down when the wind gets up and whenever you leave site overnight, rather than trusting them to ride it out. Check the sleeve stitching after every event and have a small tear repaired before it runs the length of the seam.

It is an inflatable arch for marking a start, finish or checkpoint at running, cycling and motorsport events, where you need a large branded structure that can be moved and re-sited quickly. Because it is air-supported it needs a blower running continuously, and therefore a reliable power supply at the location, which is usually the main planning constraint. It packs down far smaller than a rigid arch covering the same span, which matters if you are touring a series. Confirm both power and anchoring arrangements with the event organiser well before the day.

Flags arrive as sectional poles plus a printed fabric skin, with bases and ballast ordered separately — that separation is the most common reason a stand arrives with no way of standing a flag up. Free UK delivery applies and every flag carries a 1-year product warranty. Store the skin rolled or loosely folded and completely dry, and keep pole sections together in their own bag, since one missing top section makes the whole flag unusable. For advice on quantities for a run of flags along an entrance, contact support@backdropsource.co.uk or +44 1628 904 188.