Valentine

The Valentine was initially though out to be a new, utilitarian, and cheaper take on the classic typewriters available, proposing a new way of using and interacting with the object. Its portability was the key: as stated by the designer himself, Ettore Sottsass, it was for “use in any place except in an office”. The Valentine however, ended up not carrying the most revolutionary changes the designer intended, such as eliminating the bell and lowercase letters. In turn, its price was not lowered quite enough, and it was not as successful as expected on sales. However, the typewriter is considered amongst the design world as an icon of the end of the 1960’s, when the aesthetics and playfulness of Pop Art flourished, and society dreamed of nomadism. In addition, the ABS material allowed its shape and color to reflect the fun aspects of the pieces developed around the same time.