Step by Step How to Design Your Own Custom Pirate Flag

In this post we'll go step by step through how to design your own custom pirate flag; from choosing the right colors to making sure you're broadcasting the right message with your symbol.

If you're looking to create your own pirate flag online – try out our quick and easy Online Pirate Flag Designer!

Step 1 - Choose your flag's main color

A pirate's flag color was one of the most important choices a pirate could make and typically signified how friendly a ship might be towards it's captives.

During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, pirate's flags were typically just one of a few colors - each bearing it's own meaning:

Black
Black pirate flags were the most common among all colors; they typically signified a ship was willing to give quarter and spare the lives of those whom surrendered.

Red
A red pirate flag was flown by the most treacherous pirates and typically signified no quarter would be given and no lives would be spared. The most notorious pirates in the seven seas would fly this flag telling all to head their presence.

Green
In a few instances, pirates would fly a predominately green flag; typically signifying the calling of a meeting of the fleet or representing some other way of communicating to the rest of a pirate's fleet.

Step 2 - Choose a pattern and secondary color (optional)

Traditional pirate flags from the 17th century were quite simple in their design and did not typically bear any of the patterning seen in more modern flags.

In Custom Pirate Flag Designer we've included several patterns for you to choose from:

Upper Hoist Canton
A canton in today's flags typically signifies unity and may be referred to as simply the Union of the flag; flag's from such places as the United States and Great Britains colonies carry a Union in their design. The upper hoist area of a flag is typically the upper left or upper flag-pole side of a flag.

Diagonal, Horizontal, or Vertical Bicolor
Bicolor flags have two prominent colors to their background, typically divided horizontally, vertically, or on the diagonal.

Quartered
Quartered flags represent some of the more elaborate flag designs, flown typically in bicolor, each of the quadrants may contain it's own symbol or design.

Step 3 - Choose your symbol

A pirate flag's symbol was a pirate's way of communicating to other ships his crew's intentions.

Popular symbols of the day included:

Hourglass
Representing limited time, pirate flags often bore the hourglass indicating their foe's time was running out.

Swords, daggers, cannons, and other weapons
Various weapons were flown by pirates over the years and typically indicated a pirate's intent to act with violence. Weapons on a flag were seen as a warning: surrender or face the penalty.

Skull and Crossbones
The most traditional and widely flown symbol on a pirates flag, the skull and crossbones typically signified imminent death.

Lifted Drinking Glass
A toast to satan or to dying; pirates were often surrounded by death and the proposition of dying so in order to relish in the brutality of their world they'd fly it on their flags.

Horned Skeleton
Satan

Bleeding Heart
Typically flown to signify a slow and painful death awaits

Red Skeleton
The red skeleton, flown most notably by Edward Low - often referred to as the most brutal of all the pirates, signified torment or torture with eventual death.

Step 4 - Yer a pirate Johnny

Great! Now that you've designed your very own pirate flag, fly it proud. Go forth across the high seas in search of abundant treasures 🏝