NAVA itself does not judge flags; the opinions of its members and the public are reflected in the survey results. NAVA supports flag design through its publications, such as "Good" Flag, "Bad" Flag, its members' own activities, and case studies and surveys.
A well-designed city flag can foster civic pride and community cohesion. It can support the city's branding and promotion. And a simpler flag usually costs the city and its residents less, leading to its broader use.
Designing a flag reflects “Form Follows Function”.
A flag’s usual purpose is to:
• represent a place, organization, or person,
• generally on a rectangular piece of cloth,
• to be seen at a distance, often moving, from both sides,
• and reproduced in quantity, and in many sizes.
This drives the basic principles of flag design: simplicity, meaningful symbolism, few colors, no lettering or seals, and distinctiveness.
In most cases, a city flag should represent the entire city, not just the government. Thus city-wide symbolism is preferred over a city seal or a city logo (government symbols).