
1961: ‘Compasso d’oro‘ exhibition design, Milan
Bellini’s debut set the scene, creating a sleek industrial design exhibition within the classical splendour of the Palazzo Reale

1965: ‘Programma 101’ desktop calculator, for Olivetti
The form of the P101 created an effective division between the user’s inputs and (printed) outputs and the electronics at the rear of the machine. Even to the modern eye, it still clearly resembles a computer. Photography: Alberto Fioravanti

1968: ‘Phono Boy’ portable record player, for Grundig
Also known as the Minerva Pop, this bag-styled 7" single player was an early portable sound player, a precursor to the Walkman and a masterpiece of miniaturisation. Photography: Alberto Fioravanti

1968: Cassina showroom, Milan
A quasi-industrial modular landscape of metal grids and grilles formed the backdrop for Cassina’s inventory of modernist classics, all mounted within a glassed over courtyard in this Milanese building. Photography: Ugo Mulas

1971: ‘Totem’ stereo system, for Brionvega
This radio and tape player was the ultimate manifestation of modern electronics reduced to sculptural simplicity. Three folding boxes open up to form the Brionvega unit and its two speakers; snapped shut they form an impervious cube. Photography: Aldo Ballo

1972: ‘Kar-a-sutra’ concept car
Despite selling many thousand typewriters, computers and radios, the ‘Kar-a-sutra’ remained hugely influential in a doomed edition of just one. Effectively furniture on wheels, the concept prefigured the 1980s craze for one-box people carriers and still foreshadows the flexible interiors of tomorrow’s autonomous cars. Photography: Studio Castelli