Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) was an Italian architect and designer born in Innsbruck who shaped twentieth-century design through fearless experiment with colour and form. After studying architecture in Turin and serving in World War II, he established his Milan studio in 1947 and worked across ceramics, furniture, jewellery, glass and buildings. His tenure at Olivetti from 1956 proved transformative: he designed the Valentine typewriter with Perry King and brought colour and popular appeal to office equipment and computers, earning two Compasso d'Oro awards.