Olivetti in the context of Programma 101

Marcello Nizzoli (Italian pronunciation: [marˈtʃɛllo nitˈtsɔli]; 1887 – 1969) was an Italian artist, architect, industrial and graphic designer. He was the chief designer for Olivetti for many years and was responsible notably for the iconic Lettera 22 portable typewriters in 1950.

The Olivetti Lettera 22 [oliˈvetti ˈlɛttera ˌventiˈduːe] is a portable mechanical typewriter designed by Marcello Nizzoli in 1949 or, according to the company's current owner Telecom Italia, 1950. This typewriter was very popular in Italy, receiving the Compasso d'Oro prize in 1954. In 1959 the Illinois Institute of Technology chose the Lettera 22 as the best designed product of the last 100 years.

The typewriter is about 27x37x8 cm (with the carriage return lever adding another 1–2 centimeters in height), making it quite portable for the time's standards, even though its 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) weight may somewhat limit portability.

Ivrea (Italian: [iˈvrɛːa]; Piedmontese: Ivrèja [iˈʋrɛja]; French: Ivrée; Latin: Eporedia) is a town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the capital of the Canavese area.

Founded by the Romans under the name "Eporedia," the town became the center of the March of Ivrea during the Middle Ages and briefly served as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy in the 11th century. It later became part of the possessions of the House of Savoy. In the 20th century, Ivrea gained international recognition as the headquarters of the Olivetti company, a pioneer in technological innovation, known for creating some of the first computers. Thanks to Olivetti, the town also became a center of architectural innovation, with the construction of several modernist buildings that reflected the era's progressive spirit. On July 1, 2018, the site which is known as "Industrial City of the 20th Century" was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Olivetti Valentine is a portable, manual typewriter manufactured and marketed by the Italian company, Olivetti, that combined the company's Lettera 32 internal typewriter mechanicals with signature red, glossy plastic bodywork and matching plastic case. Designed in 1968 by Olivetti's Austrian-born consultant, Ettore Sottsass (father of the Memphis Group), who was assisted by Perry A. King and Albert Leclerc, the typewriter was introduced in 1969 and was one of the earliest and most iconic plastic-bodied typewriters.

Despite being an expensive, functionally limited and somewhat technically mediocre product which failed to find success in the marketplace, the Valentine "subverted the status quo" of typewriter design, captured the zeitgeist of post-'68 counterculture, and ultimately became a celebrated international icon, largely on account of its expressive design.

Mario Bellini (born 1 February 1935) is an Italian architect and designer. After graduating from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1959, he pursued a career in architecture, exhibition design, product design, and furniture design during the Italian economic boom in the late 20th century. He has worked with companies such as B&B Italia, Brionvega, Cassina, Heller, Flou, Yamaha, Olivetti, Renault, Rosenthal, Tecno, Riva 1920, Vitra, and Kartell.

In a career spanning nearly 70 years, Bellini has received many honours, including eight Compasso d'Oro awards and the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the Triennale di Milano. In 2019, the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, awarded him a career medal in recognition of his contributions to Italian architecture and design.