Flag Officer: Commissioner

=Squadron Commissioner in Naval Action= The current Commissioner is: Lord Nathaniel Blatchford, Earl of Stafford

Overview
It is the responsibility of the Commissioner to, when tasked by the Board of Flag Officers or spurred by own initiative, create graphical content for the Squadron and its officers. Graphical content include, but is not limited to:


 * Coats of Arms
 * Avatars
 * Signatures
 * Award certificates for the Chief of Naval Personnel.
 * Grants and letters patent for the higher Ranks for the Chief of Naval Personnel.
 * Helping captains chose their Peerage Land Holdings when relevant.

=Regulation Standards= The regulation standards are things the commissioner should now how to do or have a general knowledge of. They are provided here for easy reference.


 * How to address captains


 * Forum Signatures


 * The composition of a Coat of Arms


 * Regulations pertaining to Armorial Achievements

=Standard Operating Procedures=

Article I. General

 * (a) Make sure you are confident you can do the task(s) at hand before assuming the duties of Commissioner. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
 * (b) Lead by example.
 * (c) Treat all fellow officers with respect and courtesy.
 * (d) Address fellow officers as Captain or by official title (ex: Sir, Lord, ect.).
 * (e) Complete tasks in a timely manner.
 * (f) Record all actions performed as Commissioner in the Commissioner's Log Book to prevent the duplication of tasks, including the name of the Captains aided.
 * (i) Coats of Arms created.
 * (ii) Signatures created.
 * (iii) Any official or miscellaneous action performed as Commissioner.

Signatures

 * (a) Search the Internet for a suitable, free handwritten font.
 * (b) Write the captains name according to their wishes (ex. with or without "captain", first name only, etc.)
 * (c) Make sure it is no more than 50px high.
 * (d) Work on it until the captain is happy with the results.

Coats of Arms

 * (a) Check if any existing Arms need to be updated due to promotion. Regularly remind all Esquires that they can have a personal Coat of Arms made.
 * (b) When asked to make a Coat of Arms, read the Captain's request thoroughly. You will be creating the Arms from what he envisions.
 * (i) Be absolutely certain that his ideas meet the requirements of the Squadron and of heraldry in general. There are extremely few exceptions to the rules of heraldry.
 * (ii) If there are any pre-existing designs the Captain would like you to use, download them. You may have to search or create them yourself.
 * (iii) Always use naming convention.
 * (c) Read this page on making a Coat of Arms. It details the process step by step.
 * (i) Start with the Shield (also known as the Escutcheon). The shield templates on the wiki (search under 'ArmorialGraphics') start with a size of 480x600 pixels.
 * (ii) If there are objects and animals, place them on there. Depending on what the Captain has asked for, you may need to re-size them to fit. It is also quite possible the Captain has not specified where on the shield he wants the animal or object, in this case you will not stray very far if you do what you think looks good. You can always come back and change it to fit his ideas, which happens more often then not. Be prepared for it; save often and in stages!
 * (ii) Once you are satisfied with the placements, re-size the Shield to fit 150x188 pixels, the standard size.
 * (iii) Give yourself plenty of canvas room as the mantle, motto scroll, and crest will take more room (you can autocrop it later). You will have to re-size it manually (Image > Canvas Size...). 400x600 pixels works quite well.
 * (d) When the final Arms are accepted by the Captain, announce it in the Coat of Arms thread, or in Discord.

Certificates, Grants and Letters Patent

 * (a) At the end of each awards and promotions voting cycle, know which Captains will receive awards or promotions.
 * (b) When captains are awarded medals or commendations, go to the Awards page and find the relevant templates.
 * (i) In any suitable font (the templates use free font IM FELL DW Pica Pro Roman), fill in the relevant information.
 * (ii) On the first line, write "Captain [Full Name and Rank]", ex. "Captain Sir John Drysdale" or "Captain William Dawnton, Esq.".
 * (iii) On the second and third line, write the month, day and year of the announcement of the award. Ex. August 1st, 1819.
 * (iv) In the space below "was Awarded:", write a summary of why the captain receives the award.
 * (v) Add the signature of the current Chief of Naval Personnel under "I am charged to record...".
 * (vi) Name the graphics file "CNP [Type and tier of award] [Captain's last name]", ex. "CNP PVP1 Dawnton" and upload it to the wiki.
 * (c) When captains are promoted to Knight, go to the Ranks page and find the relevant templates.
 * (i) In any suitable font (the most suitable is Olde English Regular), fill in the relevant information.
 * (ii) Make sure you consciously chose either the Order of the Bath or Order of the Thistle according to the Captain's chosen nationality. Using the template for the Order of the Garter is the same as the other two Orders.
 * (iii) On the first line, write in the Captain's name with appropriate titles. Ex. "Sir John Drysdale", or for the Garter, "Lord Gabriel Laurence, Viscount Castleton".
 * (iv) On he second, third and fourth line, write in the day, month and year of the promotion announcement. Ex. "On this 1st day of August, 1819."
 * (d) When captains are promoted to a Baronet, go to the Ranks page and find the relevant template.
 * (i) Add the Captain's existing Shield centered in the top part, sized 150x188px.
 * (ii) In any suitable font (the most suitable is Olde English Regular), fill in the relevant information.
 * (iii) Below "Well-beloved:", write in the Captain's name as Knight. Ex. "Sir Samuel Hood".
 * (iv) Below "To the Dignity, State and Degree of:", write the Captain's baronetcy as follows: "Baronet [Last name] of [Estate]", new line, "in the County of [County]". Ex. "Baronet Hood of Catherington Hall, [new line] in the County of Southampton".
 * (v) On he second, third and fourth line, write in the day, month and year of the promotion announcement. Ex. "On this 1st day of August in the Year of our Lord 1819."
 * (e) When captains are promoted to a Baron, Viscount or Earl, go to the Ranks page and find the relevant template.
 * (i) Add the Captain's existing Shield in the marked aread on the left part, sized 150x188px.
 * (ii) In any suitable font (the most suitable is Olde English Regular), fill in the relevant information.
 * (iii) Below "Well-beloved:", write in the Captain's name and current title. Ex. "Dame Ashleigh Bagster, 1st Baronetess".
 * (iv) Below "To the State, Degree, Style, Dignity and Honour of:", write the Captain's new rank and title as follows: "[Rank] [Peerage Title], of [Land Holding]", new line, "in the County of [County]". Ex. "Baroness Dearthington, of Darnton [new line] in the County Palatine of Durham".
 * (v) On he second, third and fourth line, write in the day, month and year of the promotion announcement. Ex. "On this 1st day of August in the Year of our Lord 1819."

Helpful links

 * Branding. The Color scheme of the website.
 * Wiki Things to do. This page has some guidelines for editing the Wiki.
 * Flags for the Squadron Roster
 * National Flags
 * Typing "ArmorialGraphics" in the advanced search function on the wiki and checking "file" will give you the graphics used in creating Coats of Arms.