Ana Banic Gottlicher and Ivana Peko · CLIENT: 4N4 Design
When creating a distinctly Croatian souvenir for the island of Krk designers came up with a puzzle teaching the players ancient Glagolitic scripture as it appears on the Baska stone tablet (dating back to 1100 AD). Puzzle pieces are made out of olive trees, grown on the island of Krk since ancient Greece. Gla Gla condenses thousands of years of culture into a game allowing the users to piece together bits of Croatian history from the island of Krk and recombine them into new stories and words in any language.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Glagolitic alphabet is a script created in the middle of the 9th century, remaining in Croatian regions until the end of the 19th century, and is a significant feature of Croatian history and culture.
Puzzle is a blend of the Christian symbolism of the olive tree and the Glagolitic script. Its 25 characters are linked to the Latin letters of the alphabet, designed for industrial production.
Revive history, talk gla gla, educational puzzle for easy learning of the Old Slavic Glagolitic script. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 340 x 280 x 32 mm
- Tags
- Puzzle, Glagolitic script, olive tree, game
- Production Technology
- Black MDF and olive tree boards are cut and milled on CNC machine. Boards are protected with linseed oil. MDF boards are connected together with magnetic plates.
- Design Challenge
- Learning Glagolitic script and designing typography for industrial production. Magnet connection.
- Project Duration
- Project started in January 2020 and finished in March 2020 in Zagreb, and was exhibited in Zagreb Design Week in August 2020 in Croatia.
- Operation Flow
- By opening the box, 25 Glagolitic letters cut from an olive tree are revealed, under which there are Latin letters for easier memory and connection of not only the form, but also the meaning. The outlines of the letters can be drawn on paper and thus form the first Glagolitic words.
- Research
- The characteristics of the olive tree as a very solid wood have been carefully selected for its durability, and its Christian symbolism connects the wooden puzzle with town of Krk and Island Krk heritage.
The waterproof MDF was chosen for its exceptional durability, but also for the visual impression of fibrous wood. - Inspiration
- The Tourist Board of the Croatian town of Krk awarded the Gla Gla label of the original town of Krk souvenir and is marked with the recognition A Gift From Krk.
A Gift From Krk is a kind of representation of the town, showing a reflection of the continuity of its artistic, cultural and historical heritage, and at the same time, presenting its tangible, intangible and natural heritage. - Image Credits
- Photographer: Ivana Peko, Gla Gla, 2020
- Patents
- Product protected by the State Intellectual Property Office - Sector for Trademarks and Industrial Design, Croatia, #D20200084
Trademark: Gla Gla, 2021., Holder: 4N4 design
Press releases are available in 1 languages.