Bank Leumi Design Manual Spreads

The visual identity for Bank Leumi was introduced in 1978 and designed by graphic designer Eli Gross, a former member of Total Design (1969–1972). After returning to Israel in 1972, Gross began working for major public and commercial institutions, including Bank Leumi, where he developed a comprehensive visual language for the bank.

The identity was based on a simple horizontal 1:5 grid, using a Reflex Blue stripe alongside a cyan stripe. The system could be consistently applied across a wide range of applications, from printed materials to the facades and signage of individual bank branches.

At the time, Israeli corporate design was often characterized by eclectic European influences, with inconsistent lettering, decorative forms, and frequently distorted or stretched type. Gross’s system introduced a highly controlled and flexible visual language that could be extended across an entire national network while maintaining a strong and immediate identity.

The Bank Leumi system became an important example of modernist corporate design in Israel. Its extensive application across the bank’s branches meant that the identity became part of the everyday visual environment, exposing virtually an entire generation of Israelis to a new, systematic approach to corporate identity.