Is an award a launchpad or a landing?
This article was authored by Adam Heath, member of WDO’s 2023–2025 Young Designers Circle and industrial designer at Australian technology group Metakosmos.
In design, there’s always a temptation to chase recognition. But at Metakosmos, the work comes first. The user. The problem. The possibilities. That’s what matters.
So when we found out we’d won two accolades at last year’s Good Design Australia Awards — a Good Design Award and the Powerhouse Design Award — we were genuinely surprised. Humbled, of course. But surprised. Not because we didn’t believe in what we were building, but because we never set out to win anything. We’ve been focused on redefining traditional and legacy approaches to designing spacesuits.
Our team at Metakosmos is building something that sits at the intersection of design, engineering, and science fiction: a modular spacesuit system for the next generation of human spaceflight with applications across land, sea and air. It’s an ambitious mission, led by our CEO, Kiriti Rambhatla, an engineer by profession with a deep appreciation for design and its impact on everyday life.
Kiriti has always challenged us to think bigger than features or specs. For him, good design isn’t just about a product, it’s about the company behind it too. It’s about the purpose, the story, and how it shapes the future, pushing humanity forward. That mindset shaped everything we submitted.
Applying for the awards was a no-brainer. The Australian Good Design Awards are a prestigious honour, with a host of incredible applicants each year. The challenge was in displaying the work in its best light. Could we articulate our work not just through technical breakthroughs, but through a design lens? Beyond the engineering, could we capture the heart of what we were doing, hoping the mission of the company and product would come through?
That process, in hindsight, was more valuable than we anticipated. When you’re moving fast, as most startups are, it’s easy to get caught in the momentum and forget to pause. Preparing the submission made us stop and look at our own work critically, not to impress anyone, but to understand: What are we actually building? Who is it for? Are we pushing the right boundaries? Are we designing with the right intent?
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The recognition itself felt like a moment of quiet affirmation. I say quiet because we didn’t throw a huge celebration. There were no champagne corks popping. We were grateful and proud but mostly reflective. We talked about what it meant, what it validated, and where it might push us to go next. Personally, as a young designer, it made me appreciate how important moments of pause can be.
That desire to pause and reflect has shaped more than just our awards submission. It’s something we’ve been leaning into more as a team, including through our upcoming documentary, Suited for the Stars, which explores the vision and approach we’re taking together. The film traces the origin story of Metakosmos through the lens of human and technological evolution — from early cave dwellers to futuristic cyborgs. Narrated by our founders, it captures the spark that led to building next-generation spaceflight systems and services. It’s been another opportunity to step back and ask ourselves: Why are we doing this? Where are we going next?
Working with a cross-functional team of doctors, scientists, engineers, strategists and astronauts, design often becomes a common language. It’s the thing that brings cohesion; the tool that makes complex systems simple. And winning these awards reminded us that even in a highly technical field, design is the differentiator. It’s not just the polish, it’s the principle.
Recognition isn’t the finish line, it’s a checkpoint. It doesn’t define the work, but it can clarify it.
Since the awards, the biggest shift hasn’t been external. Yes, people noticed. Yes, it brought new opportunities and opened a few doors. But the most meaningful change was internal. It gave our team a renewed sense of confidence, especially for those of us still early in our careers. It told us we’re on the right path. That there’s space for innovation and human-centred thinking in the future of space exploration and for those working in extreme conditions here on Earth.
We’re not chasing awards. We’re chasing impact. Good design is seen. Great design is experienced and remembered for the change it creates. And the Good Design Awards gave us a rare moment to zoom out and realize we’re already making some. That’s enough to keep us pushing forward.
Adam Heath is an industrial designer, currently working on designing and producing next generation spacesuits with Metakosmos. As a person, he has endless admiration for those that have come before us and what those here today have done to push humanity forward. As a designer, he sees it as his life goal to continue this forward and give something back for what the world has given to him. With design and innovation being his passion, he hopes to work alongside others that share this vision and execute a better future, maximizing human potential.
