Panini101 Charger by Wenxi Qi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronze A' Design Award in Digital and Electronic Device Design Competition Category.
BronzeConsumer Electronics· 2026
Panini101 Charger
by Wenxi Qi
Client: PaniniClub
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Consumer Electronics Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #182816The Design
About Panini101 Charger
Panini101 is a desktop fast charger shaped like a miniature early computer tower. A transparent viewing window reveals the internal components, in contrast to the closed form of most modern electronics. A magnetic door and a stable desktop form invite handling and curiosity. Gallium nitride power architecture and adaptive charging protocols allow output up to 100 W and the charging of several devices at once. The enclosure is made of injection molded flame retardant PC ABS. The intent is to rebuild emotional connection between people and technology.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Panini101 Charger is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Panini101 Charger is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Panini101 Charger splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The core idea behind Panini101 is to challenge the growing “black-box” nature of modern technology. As devices become more powerful, they also become more opaque—users interact with them daily, yet understand them less and trust them less.
Panini101 reimagines a common everyday object—a desktop charger—as a transparent and culturally resonant artifact. The inspiration comes from 1990s computer towers, an era when technology felt more tangible, understandable, and emotionally engaging. By exposing internal components through a viewing window and referencing nostalgic design language, the product aims to rebuild a sense of trust, curiosity, and emotional connection between people and technology.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
My main focus was to go beyond pure functionality and explore how consumer electronics can carry emotional and cultural meaning.
Technically, the goal was to deliver a reliable 100W GaN fast-charging experience across multiple devices. But more importantly, I wanted to transform a charger—typically an invisible, purely utilitarian object—into something that users would notice, appreciate, and even display.
The ultimate goal was to create a product that not only powers devices but also reshapes how people perceive and emotionally relate to everyday technology.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
Panini101 has already moved into mass production, and we recently introduced a limited edition featuring colored transparent CMF variations to further explore its collectible and cultural appeal.
In the United States, the product is currently sold through a direct-to-consumer (D2C) online model. This allows us to maintain a close relationship with our users and better communicate the design story behind the product.
On the retail side, we have established a partnership with DrivePro, a premium consumer electronics retail chain with over 20 stores across China, where Panini101 will be introduced into offline channels.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand into globally recognized design and cultural retail platforms such as MoMA Design Store, as well as curated lifestyle and street culture retailers like KITH.
Our broader goal is to take Panini101 from a design-driven product into a globally distributed cultural object, bridging consumer electronics with design, fashion, and contemporary culture.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The project transforms a desktop fast charger into a culturally meaningful desk object by referencing the form of early computer towers. A transparent viewing window reveals internal components, challenging the black-box nature of modern electronics. Details such as a magnetic door, stable desktop form, and visible structure create a product that is designed not only for function, but also for interaction, curiosity, and emotional attachment.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimensions: Width 85 mm x Depth 60 mm x Height 55 mm.
Weight: approximately 240 g.
Output power up to 100 W GaN fast charging.
Supports USB C Power Delivery with adaptive charging protocols.
Enclosure made of injection molded PC ABS V0 flame retardant material.
Complies with FCC, UL, and CCC safety standards. - Tags
- power adaptor, charger, consumer electronics, retro design, emotional design, collectible, industrial design
- Production Technology
- Panini101 integrates Gallium Nitride power architecture and adaptive charging protocols into a compact desktop charger capable of charging multiple devices simultaneously. The adaptive protocol system allows compatibility with evolving devices and charging standards, extending product lifespan and reducing replacement frequency. This approach supports sustainability through durability, long term usability, and emotional attachment rather than disposable electronics.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was translating the visual language of early personal computer towers into a compact high-performance charger while meeting thermal and safety requirements. The initial fully transparent enclosure conflicted with heat dissipation needs. The final design introduced a partial viewing window, balancing engineering constraints, visual expression, and design intent.
- Research
- The project explores how industrial design can reduce the psychological distance created by black-box technology. By combining cultural symbols, physical transparency, and everyday functionality, the design investigates whether making technology visually understandable and culturally familiar can increase user trust and emotional connection. The project proposes a design approach where consumer electronics function as cultural artifacts rather than invisible utilities.
- Inspiration
- Modern technology is becoming smaller, faster, and more invisible, but this invisibility also creates psychological distance between people and the technology they depend on. Early personal computers were visible and understandable machines that people could see and interact with. This project was inspired by the idea that cultural memory and physical transparency could be used as design tools to rebuild trust and emotional connection between humans and technology.
- Project Duration
- The project started in early 2023 in Dallas, United States, and was completed in October 2024 with mass production. The project included industrial design, engineering development, prototyping, and manufacturing preparation. The product was later presented at international technology and cultural events including CES and ComplexCon.
- Operation Flow
- Panini101 is designed as a stable desktop charging object rather than a hidden adapter. Users connect devices via the charging port, while the system automatically adapts power delivery through protocol negotiation. The compact form keeps cables organized and enables one-handed interaction, reinforcing usability. Its physical presence transforms charging from a passive task into a visible and tactile routine, integrating the object into the workspace environment.
- Patents
- Patent Pending. Design Patent Application. PaniniClub LLC. 2025. United States.
Copyrights belong to PaniniClub LLC, 2024.
Trademark (2025) PaniniClub.
Trademark (2025) Panini101. - Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Justin Doherty (Photographer) Justin Doherty, Panini101 Product Photography, 2026.
Image #2: Creator Hengbo Zhang (Industrial Designer) Hengbo Zhang, Panini101 Product Visualization, 2026.
Image #3: Creator Yanhui Ban (Industrial Designer) Yanhui Ban, Panini101 Product Visualization, 2025.
Image #4: Creator Hengbo Zhang (Industrial Designer) Hengbo Zhang, Panini101 Product Visualization, 2025.
Image #5: Creator Yanhui Ban (Industrial Designer) Yanhui Ban, Panini101 Product Visualization, 2024.
Video Credits: Hengbo Zhang and Yanhui Ban, Panini101 Product Video, 2026.
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