Vexillology

He wrote, "While the use of flags goes back to the earliest days of human civilization, the study of that usage in a serious fashion is so recent that the term for it did not appear in print until 1959.

[6] Vexillology was formalized by American scholar Smith in 1961 with the publication of The Flag Bulletin.

The ICV and local vexillological meetings often cover a wide range of interests in flags.

Notable constituent organizations include the North American Vexillological Association, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde [de] (English: 'German Society for Flag Studies'), and Flags of the World (FOTW).

[9] All Scottish flags must, by law, be authorised by Lord Lyon for recording in the 'Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland' and he appointed Philip Tibbetts from the UK Flag Institute to the newly created role of Honorary Vexillologist to the Court of the Lord Lyon[10] in a rare example of a dedicated state mandated vexillologist.