Banner maker
Swallowtail war banners, hanging gonfalons, pennants and burgees. Pick a shape above the canvas, add heraldic charges and export print-ready SVG.
Banner shapes and what they were for
| Shape | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Swallowtail | A rectangle with a V cut into the fly | War flags (Denmark, Sweden and Norway fly swallowtail versions), cavalry standards, fantasy armies |
| Gonfalon | A banner hung from a crossbar, often with tails along the bottom | Italian city-states and guilds, church processions, great-hall decor |
| Pennant | A long tapering triangle | Ships, sports teams, camp flags, rank markers in games |
| Burgee | A pennant with a swallowtail fly | Yacht and sailing clubs |
| Schwenkel | A tail that tapers from the upper fly | Late-medieval German war banners |
For a banner of arms (a lord’s shield design spread across a square flag), design the shield in the coat of arms maker and choose “Download as banner”.
Questions
What kind of banners can I make here?
Flag-style banners: swallowtail war banners, triangular pennants, burgees (swallowtail pennants, as flown by yacht clubs), gonfalons (vertical hanging banners with a fringed lower edge) and tapered schwenkels. For web ad banners with photos and paragraphs of text, a general graphics tool is a better fit.
How do I make a medieval banner?
Choose “Gonfalon” or “Swallowtail” in the shape menu, set a plain or divided field, and add a heraldic charge such as a crown, tower, cross pattée or crossed swords. Keep to heraldic colours (gold, silver/white, red, blue, green, purple, black) and the rule of tincture for an authentic look. For a full shield, use the coat of arms maker.
What size should a hanging banner be?
Hanging gonfalons are usually taller than wide: set the ratio to 1:1 or 4:5 here and pick the gonfalon shape. For printing, export SVG so the print shop can scale it to any size without blurring.
Can I make a banner for a game or a Minecraft build?
Yes. Export a PNG at the size your game engine expects, or the SVG for vector-based engines. For pixel-art games, export the small PNG and scale it with nearest-neighbour filtering.