The Forgotten Designer

Written by: Constanza Coscia

When it comes to 20th century Italian design, some people tend to think of and gravitate towards icons like Gio Ponti, Bruno Munari, or Achille Castiglioni. Otherwise, they think of iconic products, like the Vespa, the Moka Express, or the Lettera 22. But it is the last product on that list the one that I want to focus on. People may know that it is one of the most famous typewriters put out by the Italian company Olivetti, but do they do know who designed it? The designer of the Lettera 22, and other iconic products of 20th century Italian design, is none other than Marcello Nizzoli, a name that seems to be forgotten among the other big names of this area of design. The products Nizzoli designed, how and why he designed them, how his background influenced him, and most importantly why he did what he did are among the reasons why I wrote this essay. I call him a forgotten designer- and for very good reason. His name would barely pop up in design books, and the resources online would mention him either briefly, or only in Italian. It was hard to research Nizzoli, despite the fact that he created a variety of iconic 20th century products. Nizzoli is an interesting man, who achieved a lot in his life, through his own, very hard work. This essay will analyze his contributions to Italian design from 1945 to 1960, and how his background influenced the work he did.

Marcello Nizzoli was born in Boretto, Italy, in 1887, to a landscape painter and a simple woman. He studies architecture, painting, and decoration in the Istituto d’Arte di Parma, which later leads him to work in publishing graphics and interior design. In 1923, he participates in the biennale from Monza (later the infamous Triennale), and in 1924 he begins working in making publicities for Campari. Later on, in the 1930s, he begins working with Giuseppe Terragni and Edoardo Persico in furniture and fittings. This, finally, leads him to, in the 1940s, working in the infamous Olivetti company. It is here where Nizzoli truly becomes an icon of 20th century Italian design. It is important to note that it is because of his background that he ends up where he does- his father probably had a great influence on his art since he himself was a painter, and the fact that Nizzoli studied a variety of different design areas helped him develop a culture and a knowledge necessary for then becoming a great designer.

Nizzoli’s work from 1945 to 1960 seems to be scarce during these years, since the resources are few. In the 1940s, as mentioned earlier, he begins working with Olivetti, where he makes two very important products: the Lexicon 80 and the Lettera 22. In the context of “post-war” years in Italy, with the need to rapidly raise the literacy levels of the population, a product like the Lexicon 80, released in 1949, was very much ahead of its time. The Lexicon grasped the most urgent needs of the Italian society and economy, in an effort to newly define the man/machine relationship using a complex and popular technology- that of typewriting. The Lettera 22, on the other hand, was taking this idea even a step further. Light and compact, easy to transport, the prototype of a portable typewriter. It was also conceived in post-war Italy in 1950, and it was quickly adopted by journalists who appreciated its ease in handling, and the possibility of standing it up vertically on the table in order to clear space for the manual correction of typewritten texts. The Lettera 22 is important and iconic especially because it was one of the first products to cross the seas and help create an idea and myth of Italian design in the United States, being featured in various Hollywood films. In a New York Times article, Thessaly La Force, says,

“Designed by Marcello Nizzoli, the Lettera 22 (and its later incarnation, the 32), was a lightweight and luxurious machine … “Before the Olivetti, typewriters had an old-fashioned look,” said Antonelli, “You could see the keys. There was more decoration. Nizzoli basically changed the shape of typewriters by taking a technological innovation from the auto industry—press-forming steel—and applying it to typewriters. All of a sudden, they had a monocoque look, a real smooth line … The Lettera 22… is encased in steel, and, though boxier, is more portable. Everything, from the keys to the corners, feels as though it’s been smoothed down and rounded over.”

Both the Lexicon 80 and the Lettera 22 are now present in a permanent MoMA collection in New York City. It is during this time with Olivetti that Nizzoli wins one out of three Compasso d’Oro, one of them specifically because of Lettera 22. Nizzoli then goes out of his way to teach himself further in the field of architecture; this knowledge he puts to use to make projects of apartments and palazzi, always for Olivetti. So much so, that in 1966, he receives the laurea ad honorem in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano. Marcello Nizzoli is considered the father of Italian industrial design because of the work he did while in collaboration with Olivetti, whose path there took inspiration from paintings, illustrations, graphics, editorials, and decorations to successively arrive to design and architecture. This is why a few typographic machines he did almost, you could say, resemble refined statues. This is why a few of his moments in architecture in the 50s and 60s are packed with graphic sensibility and take inspiration from works of art.

Furthermore, Nizzoli dedicated a bit of his time to designing sewing machines during the 1950s. The Supernova BU sewing machine for Necchi (from 1954) was one of the products that won Nizzoli one of his three Compasso d’Oro. In 1957 Nizzoli designs the Mirella (figure 6), which again wins him another Compasso d’Oro. The book Il design in Italia describes this machine as Nizzoli’s “perfect synthesis for his research into the relationship between machine, space, and function.” This sewing machine came out during a period of increased domestic work for women, and it was said to be a “sewing machine made sculpture.”

Nizzoli’s work though 1945 to 1960 is not limited to only these three products. Other noteworthy mentions are the Aurora 88, a fountain pen made in 1947, the Divisumma 14 (a calculator for Olivetti now exposed at the MoMA) made in 1956, and the Diaspron 82, yet another typewriter for Olivetti, made in 1959.

Nizzoli, as we can therefore see, is one of the most successful designers of the 20th century. His work shaped Italian design in a variety of ways. Like The Italian Metamorphosis says, “…Those details that were emphasized (in a variety of products) were structural rather than aesthetic- a good example being the seam of the Lexicon 80, used by Nizzoli to reveal, rather than conceal, the fabrication process of the product in addition to creating a strong visual highlight.” Nizzoli’s work is one of the most important of the post-war years of Italy, as his typewriters helped a society who was deep in reconstructing itself. As mentioned earlier, his typewriters helped both Italian society and journalists in a period of time where writing and reading was of upmost importance, as it would help them advance towards a better future and economy. His Mirella was designed in a way that marked differently those parts of the object where form joins function and where the machine expresses its operative duties, as Il design in Italia states. His designs were sleek and modern, which was something that greatly appealed to Italian society.

Marcello Nizzoli remains one of the most important designers of the 20th century in Italian design. His contributions extend beyond Italy, and are recognized internationally as some of the most undeniably important products of the 1900s. Through hard work, a lot of effort, and innovative ideas, Nizzoli’s name is among the other great Italian designers of the 20th century, having helped create what we today call a typical Italian design: one that is sleek, modern, and at times playful. From a little town, to Campari, to Olivetti, Nizzoli’s life work shows a variety of fields explored, which is why I think we should give more of a spotlight to this “forgotten” designer. This iconic designer needs a little more recognition, I would say.