Vintage Israeli Graphic Design for Advertising: Posters & Signs

The visual foundation of Israeli identity.

In the 1930s, with the wave of Central European immigration and the growth of the Zionist enterprise, the Israeli advertising industry began to take shape. In 1935, the “Painters Association for Useful Graphics, “Israel’s first graphic design association, was founded.

Until then, local advertising relied heavily on imported designs, borrowed magazine illustrations, or motifs drawn from Jewish tradition, Eastern art, and Art Deco. Lacking resources, trained professionals, and technical know-how, original Israeli design was rare.

The association’s founding members—Rudi Dagan, Franz Kraus, David Shanor, the Shamir brothers, and others were trained graphic artists who championed the recognition of graphic design as a profession in Israel. Their work laid the foundation for the visual language of modern Israeli cultural identity. During WWII, the association supported the war effort, producing propaganda and organizing a 1943 exhibition titled Useful Graphics in Times of Peace and War.

After independence, Richard Levy became the government’s chief graphic advisor, overseeing national projects including the state emblem (designed by the Shamir brothers), the national flag, and military symbols.In 1966, the association became a founding member of Icograda, the international council of graphic design associations.