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.
Official U.S. Flag: 50-Star. 50-Star Flag: Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizon tally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically. This is the current flag of the United States. Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21st, 1959.