A long term parternship to bring to light History
The feeling when you discover Göbeklitepe is like time has stopped, everything has a new beginning, you enter a new and unknown era.
A strong and genuine brand identity
Göbeklitepe, being one of the breakthrough discoveries of history, Dogus Holding in Turkey is leading Göbeklitepe project under Sahenk Initiative, together with the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism. They called on CBA Istanbul to to develop the brand identity for one of the world’s most iconic & history changing heritage sites: Göbeklitepe.
Located in South Eastern Turkiye, Göbeklitepe, a Neolithic archaeological site,is one of the most spectacular prehistoric megalithic monuments in the world due to its great antiquity.
Dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, between c. 9500 and 8000 BCE, and older than the Great Pyramids, Stonehenge or Machu Picchu by thousands of years, Göbeklitepe is thought to be the first known man-made structure in history and the oldest area of assembly in the world.
The site comprises a number of large circular structures supported by massive stone pillars – the world’s oldest known megaliths.
A discovery that has truly changed the history of humanity as we know it; in 2018, Göbeklitepe was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
CBA took a very holistic approach to the branding project which proved to be the beginning of a globally recognized and unprecedented journey.
The importance of Göbeklitepe in history expanded its communication beyond Turkey and CBA Design was asked to work on the visual identity of this worldwide initiative. CBA worked on the crucial elements of Göbeklitepe, in line with the look & feel and codes of the ancient site and created the self explanatory visual identity with the brand and application guidance for the museum to be opened on site in the future.
The dominant temple plan and the T-shaped limestone pillar of Göbeklitepe were leveraged as the key communication elements of the brand visual identity.
The design strategy behind the Göbeklitepe logo is inspired by the circular footprint of the site and the T shaped pillars.
The result was a strong and genuine brand identity created for Göbeklitepe, which was proudly launched in Davos in January 2016 to global leaders. Together with the brand identity announcement, also informative booklets of the site, both designed and produced by CBA Istanbul, were distributed to participants.
Further, CBA signage will be seen in Göbeklitepe museum on overall look & feel and on associated communication materials.
As the excavation continued, additional zones within close proximity of the Göbeklitepe were discovered...
Following a successful partnership for Göbeklitepe’s brand identity development, CBA has been honoured once more by Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) to embark on yet another exciting journey: TaşTepeler needed a brand identity to be positioned as an “umbrella brand” of the archeological area which covered 10+ excavation sites, including Göbeklitepe.
Therefore, CBA’s objective was to design visual identities for Taş Tepeler and Karahantepe (the second site to be opened to public) with an approach that would respect and reflect the area’s history; changing importance for humankind.
The development of these identities will allow the excavation to be continued to bring to light the enigma of a nearly 12 000 year old history.
Creation of an Umbrella Brand for the history changing heritage sites
Taş Tepeler lies on the mesmerising hills of Mesopotamia, encompassing 10+ iconic sites.
Taş Tepeler is a large archaeological zone that covers Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe and their sister excavation areas. Tas Tepeler area is thought to cover a time span of 1500 years and estimated to be spread around an area of 200km. The area dates back approximately 12,000 years – older than the Pyramids, Stonehenge and Machu Picchu.
The name Taş Tepeler, which means Stone Hills, comes from the T shape stone pillars that is typical and iconic of these excavations and the fact that all these excavation sites literally sit on a « hill » in the Fertile Crescent –the legendary Mesopotamia.
CBA used the common assets within the zones area –circular footprints and T-shaped monoliths– to drive the development of the brand identity of this umbrella brand.
A dedicated brand identity for the second area opened to the public
The site of Karahantepe was the second one to be excavated and opened to the public and is part of the Taş Tepeler one.
CBA Design developped the brand identity of this second zone.