Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s largest banks, has used a visual identity built around two blue stripes and the word “Leumi” (Hebrew for “national”) in both Hebrew and English. The current mark, introduced in 2001, dropped the word “Bank” from the logo for the first time in the institution’s history.[1]
Design and History
In January 2001, international branding group Identica unveiled a $3 million rebrand for Bank Leumi.[1] The new corporate identity was comprised of two blue stripes and the word “Leumi” in Hebrew and English, with the word “Bank” omitted from the logo.[2] The design was based on the bank’s original colour palette, using turquoise and a darker blue.[1]
Before the 2001 rebrand, Bank Leumi’s visual identity had been shaped by Israeli designer Eli Gross. In the early 1980s, Gross developed a new house style for the bank based on a 1:5 horizontal grid system that could be adapted to stretch signage across building façades. This approach was considered innovative at a time when the visual language of banks and institutions was still rooted in eclectic European styles with sporadic layouts.[3] Gross also produced a Bank Leumi Design Manual in 1983.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The name “Leumi” means “national” in Hebrew.[1] The bank’s centennial publication describes the logo’s two components as representing the national and the futuristic, with the national element expressed through the dominant blue color.[2] The letters of the text and the two blue stripes in the logo converge into a continuous field of national significance.[2]
Typography and Design
For the earlier identity developed by Eli Gross in the 1980s, the bank utilized the typeface Oron, designed by Asher Oron in 1966. Oron was the first Hebrew typeface deliberately designed as a counterpart or derivative of an existing Latin typeface: Adrian Frutiger’s Univers.[3] The 2001 Identica logo features the word “Leumi” set in both Hebrew and English lettering.[1]
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