The Red and Yellow Postal Mailboxes for the Israel Postal Authority

The visual system for the postal mailboxes was designed by graphic designer Eli Gross, a former member of Total Design (1969–1972), after his return to Israel in 1972. Working for major public institutions, including the Israel Postal Authority, Gross developed a series of functional and highly recognizable elements for Israel’s public infrastructure.

An iconic example is the distinctive pair of red and yellow postal mailboxes, likely dating to the mid-1980s. The design consists of two simple flat tubes bent at the top and positioned back to back: one red and one yellow. The yellow mailbox was designated for local mail, while the red mailbox was used for inter-city destinations. The red color continued a visual tradition established by postal boxes during the British Mandate period, while the contrasting yellow created an immediate functional distinction.

The design exemplifies Gross’s approach to public and functional design: a minimal, systematic form in which visual identity and practical information are integrated into a single object. Repeated throughout the country, the mailboxes became a familiar element of Israel’s everyday visual environment.

Little documentation about the design survives today. Perhaps precisely because of its ubiquity and functionality, the mailbox became almost invisible—rendering it as an everyday object that quietly fulfilled its purpose without demanding attention.