The odd thing is, they don't all really say the same thing. Most of them say come up with a concept so that must be good advice ... except that it really seems almost the same as come up with a character. So, I'll help you out a little bit by talking about some actual methods by which characters are created.
The number of stars on the flag is fixed at 12, and is not related to the number of member states of the EU (although the EU did have 12 member states from 1986 to 1994). This is because it originally was the flag of the Council of Europe.
Quick Answer. The stars on the American flag each represent a state. On June 14, 1777, the first Flag Act stated, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation, according to USA Flag Site. As of May 2014, the American flag has 50 stars.