Ettore Sottsass's love letter to 1968
The Valentine is a symbol of the moment it was born into—late 1960s upheaval, student protests, the Parisian May of "imagination in power," the hippie movement. A typewriter that captured a revolution.
Ettore Sottsass conceived it the year after the 1968 protests as more than just a writing tool. It needed three qualities: simplicity, intimacy and affordability. A "Bic pen of typewriters." The material choice was radical: lightweight, colorful plastic when typewriters were supposed to be heavy metal office machines.
Using plastic was a statement—new material, new object, new world. This wasn't designed for secretaries in gray offices. The Valentine was a pop object that could live anywhere. It appeared in Alex's bedroom in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, cementing its cultural icon status.
Portability was built into its DNA: the handle was part of the structure, not an add-on. Olivetti's advertising celebrated this, showing artists using it in unexpected places.
The Valentine's impact goes beyond function. It represents freedom, youth culture, breaking the rules. One of those rare objects that perfectly captured its historical moment.
"Design is one way to discuss life. It is a way to discuss society, politics, eroticism, food" — Ettore Sottsass
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