For many of us thoughts of Israel evoke images of the nation’s religious past, images of an old world, seeped in tradition. Israel is indeed a holy land for the religions that have been born from the Abrahamic traditions, religions including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and the Baha’i Faith. However, Israel is also a land full of innovation and creativity, a land full of artists, trendsetters, disco-dancers, athletes, and humanitarians. This new innovative, creative Israel is exactly the image that the Israel Government Tourist Office (IGTO) now wants to present to the world.
In early March 2014, the IGTO unveiled a campaign that is seeking to rebrand Israel. The campaign intends to update Israel’s image, exemplifying the nation’s modernity and diversity after market research by Saatchi & Saatchi England found that the theme of the rebranding should focus on the creative energy of the country and its people. The highlight of the campaign is the rebranding of the Israel logo, which has been colorfully designed with custom typeface. The typeface combines elements of Arabic, Hebrew, and English writing, and it has been specifically designed for this campaign. The logo is also accompanied by a new slogan, “Land of Creation.” The Ministry of tourism plans to use three variations of the new design for its marketing campaigns, and other Ministries will use other variations of the design; however, all of the options are similar, and they will ultimately represent a unified image of Israel. The logos, typeface, and slogan were designed by Open, an Israeli design firm.
According to the IGTO PR and communications director, Jerry Adler,”[The slogan] Land of Creation ties everything together.” Furthermore, added Adler, the logo is “a dynamic logo with one visual language that can be adopted by all government offices. The new logo is part of an ongoing effort of the government of Israel… to change people around the world’s view of the country and its people”.
For another look a the Israeli rebranding in action, you can check out the GoIsrael website. Engaging visitors with unique interactive video experience, the site is designed to connect people with everything related to traveling in Israel. Created by Interlude, which is itself an innovate Israeli company, visitors to the site are guided through the country by three Israeli natives. You can choose which tour guide you want to take you around, and the video allows you to travel to locations from the coast to the capital.
You can investigate the website here: http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Pages/home.aspx
