Artist and political activist David Tartakover died Tuesday at age 81. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease, according to Israeli media sources.

A graphic designer by training, Tartakover designed the iconic “Shalom” (Peace) poster and later created the emblem for Peace Now, with his work becoming one of Israel’s first political bumper stickers.

Tartakover created the “Shalom” emblem during a national poster competition marking 30 years of Israel’s independence in 1978, the first year of Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s administration, and the year before the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty.

His logo became the official poster, and months later, Tartakover added the word “Achshav” (Now) to be used at a mass peace rally in Tel Aviv.

The iconic “Peace Now” logo combined two typefaces: “Shalom” in Koren, a traditional, biblical font, and “Achshav” written with Haim, a more modern font, explained Tartakover in numerous interviews. He set the typefaces in red and black, representing the movement’s demand for a peaceful two-state solution.

The Haifa-born designer, who served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces and later fought as a reservist in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, was a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and........

© The Times of Israel