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A banner is a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is a banner of arms. A bar-shaped piece of advertising material sporting a name, slogan, or other marketing message is also a banner. Banners may hang from horizontal or vertical flagpoles, be stretched between two poles, be attached to windows or buildings, or be towed behind aircraft.
Banner-making is an ancient craft. Church banners commonly portray the saint to whom the church is dedicated.
The word derives from Old French baniere (modern ), from Late Latin bandum, which was borrowed from a Germanic source (compare ). include Italian language bandiera, Portuguese bandeira, and Spanish language bandera.
The word vexillum itself is a diminutive of the Latin velum, meaning a sail, which confirms the historical evidence (from coins and sculpture) that vexilla were literally "little sails" i.e. flag-like standards. In the vexillum the cloth was draped from a horizontal crossbar suspended from the staff; this is unlike most modern flags in which the 'hoist' of the cloth is attached directly to the vertical staff.
A distinction exists between the heraldic banner and the heraldic standard. The distinction, however, is often misunderstood or ignored. For example, the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is in fact a banner of the royal arms.
Banners in churches have, in the past, been used mainly for , both inside and outside of the church building. However, the emphasis has, in recent years, shifted markedly towards the permanent or transient display of banners on walls or pillars of churches and other places of worship. A famous example of large banners on display is Liverpool R.C. Cathedral, where the banners are designed by a resident artist.
Banners are also used to communicate the testimony of Jesus Christ by Evangelism and public ministers engaged in Open Air Preaching.
In Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, trade union banners were unfurled with pride in annual Eight Hour Day marches which advocated 'Eight Hours Labour, Eight Hours Recreation and Eight Hours Rest'. These marches were one of the most prominent annual celebrations staged in Australia by any group. In Sydney alone, by the early twentieth century, thousands of unionists representing up to seventy different unions would take part in such parades, marching behind the banner emblematic of their trade. Most of these banners have not survived; the Labour Council of NSW has the largest surviving collection at Sydney Trades Hall in Sussex Street, Sydney.
The State Library of NSW in Sydney has a small collection of trade union banners that were donated to the Library in the early 1970s such as a Federated Society of Boilermakers, Iron & Steel Shipbuilders of Australia banner thought to have been made c. 1913–1919. The Federated Society of Boilermakers, Iron & Steel Shipbuilders of Australia was formed in 1873 and joined the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union in 1972.
The banner features a kneeling figure in the centre surrounded by scroll work and is decorated with Australian native flowers and images representative of the work of the Union's members such as a New South Wales Government Railways 34 class steam locomotive, the Hawkesbury River rail bridge built in 1889, and a furnace. The reverse of the banner shows the warship Australia at sea. The banner is canvas and was painted by Sydney firm Althouse & Geiger, master painters and decorators. Founded in 1875, the company is still in operation. The banner is a powerful interpretive tool in communicating the experience and the history of the Australian labour movement.
Uruguay's Club Nacional de Football supporters made a 600 x 50 metre banner that weighs over 2 tonnes; they claim it is the largest in the world. Gigante como su hinchada - Diario Ovción, August 11, 2012 It was unveiled in April 2013 in a Copa Libertadores football match at the Estadio Centenario.
serve some bannerlike cultural functions.
Banners are used by businesses for advertising. Many British towns and cities have numerous banners decorating their city centers, advertising the town or its special features and attractions. Pre-printed banners are commonly used, simple, and accessible. Banners can be printed in enormous formats, with a full range of colors. They are used in many configurations: hanging from an existing fixture, fixed to a wall, or free standing. When an advertising banner is hung or suspended between posts, grommets or another method of attachment are necessary to prevent the banner from tearing or flying away. Aluminum Grommet can be pre-installed, or punched into the banner and used to tie the banner down, allowing for more durable advertisements. Another common form of free standing banners are retractable displays.
Banners can be found plastered behind a window screen, as billboards, atop skyscrapers, or towed by airplanes or blimps.
Another manifestation of advertising banners, unique to the 21st century, are "", which are advertisements on websites. The banner ads contain hyperlinks to other websites. Also, on free music streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora, audio advertisements will play in between songs. One of the common tag lines is "Click the banner to learn more."
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