Rules of Heraldry and Devices

Blazon vs. Emblazon

When heralds talk about devices, they do not say what the objects on the device are in plain English. Instead, they describe the blazon of the device. Most of this special language is derived from Latin and French. I'll go into a bit more detail on what kind of terms are used in a bit.

The emblazon is the graphical representation of the device. It's the picture that goes on a fighter's shield or a camper's banner outside their tent. The emblazon is what is registered by the College of Heralds, so it's important to develop a good drawing for your submission!

Colors vs. Metals

In heraldry, not all colors are colors. Instead they are broken up into colors and metals.

A very basic rul in creating devices is a metal cannot go directly on another metal and neither can a color go on a color. There is a really good reason for this: you need to be able to recognize the device from across the battlefield so you know if that other guy there is a friend or foe. Having the color/metal contrast helps with this a lot. Now, you may be asking yourself what exactly is a metal and how does it differ from a color. Here's the breakdown:

Even modern logos and signs follow this logic. Think of a Stop Sign. It's red with white writing and border. The Pepsi logo is another good example. The two colors are seperated by white.

Just to add another layer of complication to this matter, there are also neutral fields that can have either metals or colors placed on them. They are called firs. Just as the name suggests, these are inspired by real firs. They are:

Firs can be different colors than what is shown here, but if you do that, you'll have to specify what colors/metals are being used.

Fields vs. Charges

When dealing with blazons, you'll come across the terms fields and blazons a lot. Here are their definitions:

Field

The background of your shield/device

Charge

An object that sits on the field

Ordinary

A type of charge - made up of thick bands of color on your device.