Paragon Espresso wins Gold at Good Design Awards

The winners of Australia’s peak international design awards for 2024 were announced on Friday 20 September at the Australian Good Design Awards in front of a wide range of guests from the design, architecture and fashion community at the Sydney International Convention Centre (ICC). 

Paragon Espresso received a prestigious Gold Award in the Good Design Award ‘Product Design’ category, in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.

The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in Australia, and reward diverse projects across 12 Design Disciplines covering more than 32 Categories and Subcategories. With its roots dating back to 1958, the Australian Good Design Awards, is the country’s most prestigious international accolade for design and innovation. As the Awards mark another year of excellence, they continue to reflect the rich heritage and future potential of Australian and international design.

The Awards recognise a diverse range of projects from Australia and abroad, encompassing architectural design, engineering, digital and communication design, and emerging fields such as design strategy, social impact and policy design – a new standalone category introduced in 2024. Each year, the Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian and international market, excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design, and reward new and emerging areas of design including design strategy, social impact design, design research and up-and-coming design talent in the next-gen category.

This year’s Good Design Awards attracted high-quality design projects from Australia and around the world. These innovative projects were evaluated by more than 80 Australian and international Jurors, including designers, engineers, architects and thought leaders. More than 900 entries were evaluated according to a strict set of design evaluation criteria which includes Good Design, Design Innovation and Design Impact.

The Paragon Espresso, commissioned by Nucleus Coffee Tools for design by industrial design firm Formswell, was the second iteration of extract chilling technology for coffee preparation made by the two companies. Released in 2023, the Paragon Espresso combined the functionality of its predecessor, Paragon with the ability to incorporate extract chilling into espresso preparation.

In presenting the Gold Award, Good Design Awards Jury praised Paragon Espresso, commenting:

“The Paragon Espresso Tool captures more aroma and flavour with its patented extract-chilling feature. Its lightweight and durable design make it a standout in the coffee tool market.”

Creating the Paragon Espresso

Following the release of the Paragon in 2023, Nucleus Coffee Tools and Formswell began developing the concept for the Paragon Espresso. Designer & Creative Lead at Formswell, Rene Linssen, said that he would never forget the first meeting with Nucleus Coffee Tools founder, Saša Šectić.

“[Saša] brewed us a filter coffee using what was, at the time, the first Paragon Filter prototype, made from a mix of hacked-together parts. As we all sipped the coffee, Saša shed a tear. I remember him saying, ‘I’ve had espresso this good before, but I’ve never experienced filter coffee that moved me like this’,” he said.

“In that moment, it was clear how passionate Saša and the Nucleus [Coffee Tools] team were about coffee. What they were creating was truly special and innovative.”

The Paragon was also a recipient of a Good Design Award in 2023, and further motivated the Formswell and Nucleus Coffee Tools team to create a new product to enable extract chilling for espresso preparation. Rene says that pne of the greatest challenges in creating and designing the second Paragon product – Paragon Espresso – is that it was truly a world-first, and both teams had to work together to create something without a clear reference.

“Usually, when designing a product, like a spoon for example, you can look at existing products on the market and figure out where you can innovate – but for this, we had to create the design language and functionality from scratch, Rene said.

Even though the extract chilling technique was borrowed from the original Paragon, the experience had to be completely re-thought for espresso – including a smaller chilling rock size, anti-slip features so it would sit on the cup, flipping the mount for height adjustment, and more.

The original prototype for the Paragon Espresso was the one Hugh Kelly used during his World Barista Championship performance in Milan in 2021, in which he placed 3rd. It was essentially a whisky rock attached to a bent spoon or fork — the bent shape hugged the cup’s lip, but it wasn’t stable, and there was a risk it could fall in.

“After a lot of brainstorming, 3D printed prototypes, and testing, we came up with the current design, which has two arms and rubber grips for better stability and adjustability,” Rene said.

“It’s been wild to see so many knock-offs pop up since the product launch — flattering, really! Paragon Espresso was truly the first of its kind and has set the standard for others to follow.”

The design of the Paragon Espresso went through many iterations, including experimentation with different sizes, shapes and mounts for the chilling rocks. However, the inspiration for the eventual – and now award-winning – design came from simplicity. Rene says that was a designer, it’s easy to get tempted by adding more features, more bells and whistles.

“[T]he key to the Paragon Espresso design was about letting that gold ball shine. The rest of the design needed to ‘disappear’ so the Paragon Chilling Rock could do its job and be easily moved around as needed,” he said.

“We also wanted to ensure it felt like part of the Paragon family, with similarities to the Paragon Filter. For example, we drew from elements like the angled arms and the all-black finish to maintain that cohesive look and feel.”

Good Design Awards 2024

The 2024 Good Design Awards recognised a diverse range of projects from Australia and abroad, encompassing architectural design, engineering, digital and communication design, and emerging fields such as design strategy, social impact and policy design – a new standalone category introduced in 2024.

Rachel Wye, Managing Director of Good Design Australia, remarked, “This year’s Awards reflect the profound ripple effects that exceptional design can have on people, place and planet. The projects honoured in these Awards exemplify how thoughtful design can drive meaningful change, not only enhancing user experiences and the way people interact with the world, but also contributing to a more sustainable and more prosperous future.”

Since it’s release, the Paragon Espresso has been distributed to more than 40 countries across the globe. During this time, it has been adopted by numerous innovative coffee businesses and competitors to showcase the best of their coffee – including at the 2023 World Barista Championships, where it was used by winner, Boram Um (Brazil) to take first place, by first place winner Pierre de Chanterac in the 2023 World Ibrik/Cezve Championships, and in the 2024 World Ibrik/Cezve Championships by first and second place winners, Jordan Tachnakian (France) and Kevser Atmaca (Turkïye), respectively.

“The Australian Good Design Awards celebrate the transformative power of design in solving complex business, environmental and societal challenges. This year’s winners showcase how design can help drive innovation, generate growth and embed sustainability principles,” Ms. Wye added.

“We are honoured to celebrate this year’s Winners, whose work not only represents design excellence, but also inspires future designers, architects and innovators. These projects stand as a testament to the power of good design and its ability to make a significant, positive impact in our world.”

In receiving the Gold Award from the Good Design Awards, the Paragon Espresso has been recognised not just as an effective tool for preparing better coffee – but as a product of exceptional design, produced through partnership and collaboration.

“Receiving a Good Design Award is one of the biggest recognitions in Australia — and the world. Being a Gold Winner not only acknowledges the design but also proves it’s a leader in its field. It’s very cool and rewarding,” Rene said.

“From the moment we designed this product, we knew it was something special, and the coffee world knew it too. But to see it recognised by a broader community is incredibly humbling. It’s really a designer’s dream.”

Learn more about the Paragon Espresso here.