Introducing CBRL’s new brand identity

CBRL is delighted to announce the launch of our new logo. We have refreshed our logo to reflect who we are now and to symbolise our future, drawing inspiration from our region and its heritage.

Our new logo is comprised of our initials – CBRL – followed by our new symbol, or marque. The marque is inspired by the term ‘Levant’, which derives from the Italian Levante, meaning ‘rising’, implying the rising of the sun in the east. The design is formed through tessellation, an art common to the Levant region, with a foundation in learning and discipline. Eight squares connect at all inner points – symbolising partnership and connectivity – to form a sun in the counter-space.

The resulting logo is simple, purposeful and relevant, imbued with timeless and professional qualities.

The history of the CBRL dates to the launch of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem (BSAJ) over 100 years ago, now CBRL’s Kenyon Institute. The British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History (BIAAH) was founded almost 50 years ago, now the CBRL’s Amman Institute. Our institutes now share the same logo to highlight our rich history and deep roots in the Levant. Our horse logo was introduced in 1998 when CBRL was created through a merger, and is taken from a Safaitic inscription found in southern Syria dated to the 1st century AD. The old logo did a magnificent job and is part of our history, but we are looking to move on, think globally and present a logo that has extensive appeal and more universal meaning.

Over one hundred years later since the BSAJ was founded, CBRL operates as a UK charity to advance knowledge and understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Levant. Our vision is for research in the humanities, social sciences and related fields to make the fullest possible contribution to fostering knowledge and understanding of the Levant, for the common good. These ambitions are neatly summarised in the words, ‘Learning from the Levant’.

We now have new brand guidelines to provide the foundation for consistent application. Our new brand identity has been developed by Only Studio, who also developed the brand identity for the British International Research Institutes (BIRI), of which CBRL is a member. In the upcoming months, we will update our marketing literature and online presence etc., with the new logo. Meanwhile, we invite our partners who are currently announcing joint ventures with CBRL to contact us via email on: info@cbrl.ac.uk to obtain our new brand guidelines.