shamir brothers

News

Israel Today article for 75th Independence day on the use by Malka beers of Shamir posters on their labels. 21 April 2023
Towards Hanukkah 2022, Farkash Gallery in Jaffa are auctioning military posters; Five of them by the Shamir brothers. Prices range from 790 to more than 5000 dollars
David Sela presented on Channel 13 the mail poster " Post your festival greetings early" designed by the Shamir brothers in the early 1960s. He also used the poster as the header on his popular website "Nostalgia". September 2022
A collection of articles by Dr. Einat Wilf was published in the USA "Should everyone be Zionist". On the cover is a banknote by the Shamir brothers from 1958 and a portrait of Einat Wilf inspired by a Nahal soldier on the banknote.
In the Negev Holyland's 100th auction, the FDC designed by the Shamir brothers of the Negev stamp from 1950 is being offered. September 2022
At an auction at an event of the Israel Philatelic Federation five stamps designed by the Shamir brothers are offered for sale. August 2022 Update: At the sale on September 2, high prices were achieved
An article in Israel Today: "A lesson with respect" uses two JNF stamps on "Respect your teacher" designed by the Shamir brothers in 1953. July 2022
A poster exhibition from the Roni Duak collection was presented at Beit Hanna, Florentine, Tel Aviv. Inc works by the Shamir brothers, Otte Wallish, Franz Krauss, Yochanan Simon and Rudy Deutsch Dayan. May 2022
The editor of "Fri-Sat" of "Israel Today" chose a poster by the Shamir brothers to illustrate an article by Yair Nitzani on the deterioration of the status of the Hebrew language. Dec 2021
In the book "The Collection of the Century" on the Central Zionist Archive centenary the authors wrote about the Shamir brothers: "Their graphic work was integrated into the life of the country on the way and in the first decades of the country."
The Shamir poster "The Best for Pilots" opens Ofer Aderet's column in Haaretz in memory of the pilot Shabtai Gilboa, who modeled for the poster. "The designers, enlisted for the mission and Gilboa became famous overnight," Aderet writes. 11/2021
The pilot Shabtai Gilboa (87), who modeled for the poster "The Best for Pilots" 1962 by the Shamir brothers, passed away. Gilboa finished his service in the Air Force with the rank of colonel and moved to El Al as captain. Nov 2021
A Shamir brothers poster for the International Workers' Day 1952 appears in a traveling exhibition in schools about the status of women in the Land of Israel, November 2021
The "Good Words" exhibition by the Shenkar Center for Design Research will open at the Old City Museum in Jaffa on November 19. It will include five 1950s posters designed by the Shamir brothers.
" Post your holidays greetings early" - a poster, designed by the Shamir brothers for the Israel Post, appears in "Israel Today", half a page in the "70 Years After" section, edited by David Sela. Sep 2021
A 1938 poster by Shamir brothers for the Israeli maritime authority has recently been discovered.
The figures from the 1958 Shamir designed banknotes on the dining room wall of Kibbutz Ginosar
A souvenir album presented by the Shamir brothers to the Minister of Postal services, Mordechai Nurock, with stamps designed by them. Offered for sale by Kedem, July 2021
A new book edited by Yoram Shamir: "In Shamir brothers' Footsteps" - 47 stories with illustrations by Daria Moses. has been added to our website. July 2021
A Shamir brother poster on the occasion of the appearance of a new newspaper for new immigrants "Omer" [says] appears in David Sela's section in "Israel Today July 21

Students Annual contest

Gabriel and Maxim Shamir were graphic designers in Palestine (later Israel) since the mid-30s to the early 90s of the 20th century. Their best known work is the emblem of the State of Israel. The work of the of Shamir Brothers, created over a period of many upheavals, is the product of a culture in need of shapes and words to spread its messages. Their work focused in three main areas: the creation of key emblems of the State of Israel, tools used by governing bodies to achieve short term aims and general advertising of products and services.

The three brothers Gabriel (1909-1992), Maxim (1910-1990) and Leiba (1914-1994) Scheftelowitsch were born in Liepāja (Libau) Latvia - part of the Russian Empire at the time. The youngest brother Leiba was a singer and Gabriel and Maxim both graduated from the Charlottenburg School of Arts in Berlin. At the end of their studies Gabriel and Maxim opened the Studio "Scheftelowitsch Brothers " in Riga, Latvia.

The Scheftelowitch Brothers Studio opened in 1933 in the family's flat on 9 Albert Street, Riga; a building designed by Konstantin Pekschen in Art Nouveau style. When they came to Tel Aviv in 1934/5 they chose a flat on 84 Rothchild Boulevard which was the first residential building in the country built on column(piloti). It was designed by architect Zeev Richter in the International style, under the influence of Le Corbusier. The flat served as a graphics studio (named Shamir Brothers) and as residence of the two brothers' families.

They were among the founders of the“Graphic Designers Association of Israel”

In the following years they focused mainly on designing posters, newspaper ads and labels for consumer products in modern language and styles. Whether out of ideology or recognition of the Zionist iconography as a promotional marketing tool they often included in their works images of Israeli landscapes, pioneering stereotypes and images of soldiers.

In 1949, Shamir Brothers won first prize for designing the State Emblem of the newly established State of Israel.

In 1958 they won the competition to design four of the new banknotes issued by the Bank of Israel (except the back side of the half- pound and ten pounds banknotes which were designed by Jakob Zim).

In the '50s and '60s they expanded the activities of the studio and branched into designing logos, stamps, medals , magazines - periodicals, books and brochures. Shamir Brothers have designed various official materials and were commissioned to distribute institutional messages expressing the needs of the time such as fund raising for the National Bond, war on the black market, the law of compulsory education, "pilot youth" and the like. Their work was characterized by attention to changes in Israeli culture constantly updating the graphic language, syntax and accurate messages therein and adjusting their designs and styles to meet their clients' objectives as well as the target audiences.

In 1974 Shamir Brothers closed the joint studio and began to work separately. Maxim Shamir focused on designing stamps mainly for African, Central American and Asian countries while Gabriel Shamir retired and worked in graphic design as a volunteer for institutions such as the University of Tel Aviv, hospitals and other non -profit organizations.

Shamir Brothers Signatures

The first signature appeared in newspapers in the fall of 1934 when Maxim Scheftelowitsch settled in Tel Aviv, Palestine. He designed a special presentation of the Hebrew letter “Shin”. They continued to use this signature when they changed their name from Scheftelowitsch to Shamir in mid-1935 at the suggestion of journalist Uri Keisari retaining the same initial. In printed material they signed their name simply as Studia Shamir using a simple font (Studia rather than Studio reflected their Russian origin).

In the 40s their ads were signed “Shamir” using the thin font “Miriam” and a similar thin font in English. They also signed some works as “Shamir and Co.”

In the 60s they started to use a handwritten signature “Shamir” in both Hebrew and English. Some of their Hebrew ads include their signature in English – reason unknown. Many of their postage stamps include a signature: SHAMIR or S or MS in small thin letters somewhere in the design or somewhere around the frame.

Galit Gaon and Dikla Elazar of theShenkar Institute for Research and Documentation of Design interviewed Yoram and Uri Shamir to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the Shamir Brothers website. April 2021