Born in Innsbruck, Austria on September 14, 1917, Ettore Sottsass graduated in architecture from the Polytechnic of Turin in 1939. In 1947 he started his own practice in Milan and in 1958 began working as a design consultant with Olivetti where he designed Elea, the first Italian electronic calculator and Valentine, a portable typewriter. He was a central figure in the cultural avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s and in 1980 founded Sottsass Associati which began working in industrial design and interiors, later branching out into architecture, graphics and corporate identity. In 1981 he founded along with others of international fame, the group Memphis, which became a symbol of “new design”.
For Domus he designed the striped edge that distinguished the graphic design for many decades.
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