During the next couple of days the Viennese will have an opportunity to learn some Croatian, as the posters Croatian for Beginners will be published all over town. This is actually a project by the newly opened agency Bruketa&Žinić OM Wien.

Since the opening of Bruketa&Žinić OM Wien is followed shortly by Croatia entering the EU, the agency decided to use this opportunity for some self-promotion and to communicate the newest EU member to the Austrian market.

The idea was to show how Croatia has always been a part of the same cultural and social circle as Austria and how similarities of these two societies are far greater then their differences. To demonstrate this, the agency created a series of posters entitled Croatian for Beginners based on Croatian words originating from German, a sort of an illustrated Croatian-German dictionary.

Explanation of the correct pronunciation of these words enables everyone to recognize and understand them, and therefore to – speak Croatian. Explanations of their meanings created an opportunity to introduce certain Croatian habits and traditions in a humorous way, turning it into an interesting trivia, easy to understand and remember.

Illustration1: young woman (das Fräulein) [frá·j·láa]
Frajla – a well dressed young woman flaunting down the city center street, northern Croatia; ‘frajla’ usually comes in a pair, followed by the BFF, usually less attractive but significantly louder

Illustration2: poop/shit (der Dreck) [dr·ε·ck’]
Drek – 1. a poop, in northern parts of Croatia; 2. non-formal usage: a crap, commonly used in phrases like “What kind of ‘drek’ is this”, “He knows ‘drek’!” or “To think, is to know ‘drek'”

Illustration3: (gemischt) [gè·më·scht]
Gemišt – a mixture of white wine and mineral water, often drank at lunches and with pork dishes. The traditional recipe allows several types of ‘gemišt’, e.g.: 1:1 – halfly, 1:2 – finger-finger, 1:4 – sporty, or 4:1 – sprinkly

Bruketa&Žinić OM Wien/ Tanja Škorić (Creative Director), Karolina Suder (Key Account Manager)

Vedran Klemens (Illustrator, Art Director)