Emblems

Emblems

States, provinces and burgs can show a heraldic emblem or a picture emblem. A heraldic emblem is drawn from a coat of arms (COA): a field, charges and tinctures. Any icon from the Icon Library can be a charge, including your own image, an emoji or a goods icon. A picture emblem shows one image whole, with no field.

Open Tools → Emblems or click an emblem on the map to edit it. The Regenerate button returns a picture emblem to a generated coat of arms. Map size and dragging on the map work for both kinds.

The expected way to edit an emblem is Armoria and its COA string: a COA is a short text, so it keeps the .map file small and the emblem stays editable. Use uploaded pictures sparingly, as each one is stored in the .map file and increases its size.

Work with Armoria

Edit in Armoria opens the current COA in Armoria. A linked Armoria picture opens its original COA. When Armoria was opened from the Generator, every change you make there, including undo, redo and recoloured tinctures, shows on that emblem a moment later. If the art is not available in the Generator, Armoria's picture is stored as one Custom icon, so it still shows offline.

The link button in the Emblems Editor opens a field holding the emblem's COA string. Edit it by hand, or replace it with an Armoria Copy edit link, Copy API link or Copy COA string, and press Apply; the emblem keeps its size and place on the map. When the Generator knows all of its art, the COA stays heraldic and can be edited again. If it contains art the Generator lacks, it links Armoria's SVG render as a picture. The field takes only these Armoria formats; for any other image use the picture buttons.

Use a picture

The Emblems Editor has two picture buttons, both opening the icon picker on Custom. The knight button sets the emblem's charge; the upload button replaces the whole emblem with the picture, which suits a ready coat of arms, flag, badge or seal that Armoria cannot make. Choose an existing icon, paste an image link, or upload an SVG, PNG, JPEG or WebP file. The picker accepts SVGs up to 1 MB and rasters up to 10 MB, shrinking larger raster dimensions to 1024 px. A charge picture becomes the emblem's main charge: Field and Charge set their tinctures and Charge size scales the charge. These controls appear only for emblems made from a library picture; any other coat of arms is edited in Armoria. Pictures with open colours and line art take the charge tincture; raster images keep their own colours.

Shape appears for pictures and emblems made from a library picture; a coat of arms changes its shield in Armoria. Shape → None also shows the current charge alone, without a field. Choosing a shape for a whole picture puts it on a field as the charge. Position in the icon picker zooms or moves a Custom icon inside its frame; Replace changes every emblem, marker or other place using that icon. A state and its capital can use the same Custom icon, stored once in the map, so reuse an uploaded picture rather than uploading it again. Removing a Custom icon tells you how many emblems and other places use it. Armoria cannot show Icon Library pictures, so they are missing when such an emblem is opened there.

Uploaded pictures are saved in the .map file and show offline, but they make the file larger, especially rasters. Linked pictures keep the file small but need their host. Emblem SVG and raster downloads include the built-in and Custom icon art they use; a linked picture appears in raster exports only if its host allows the Generator to read it.