"A modern interpretation of an Egyptian, drawn with threadlike rods without contrast, the lower case has been raised in comparison with the upper case to achieve more compactness in the sober and distinctly geometric reading".

Like others before him, Novarese formulates a classification of typefaces by dividing them into ten families, among which are the Egyptian: graceful and thick, the Egyptian, or slab serif, was born at the end of the 19th century and is perfect for advertising, which precisely at that juncture began to develop. Dattilo was designed from the same matrix: a reinterpretation of the classic typewriter in a contemporary key, in line with the growing success of modern sans serifs without betraying its original elegance.

"Very light", cites the Armando Testa advertising campaign designed to celebrate the release of the new typeface: sophisticated and innovative, it was distributed in 1972 in three different versions, bold, very light and very black, achieving immediate success with the public. From 1973, Reber obtained the exclusive production rights from Nebiolo, subsequently acquiring the marketing rights.

50 years after its creation, Dattilo returns in a digital version in all the weights originally intended: its innate refinement is combined with a modernity that shows no signs of waning.