If you’ve seen this year’s World Alcohol-Free Awards Trophy winners, you’ll notice that PB Creative has just partnered with the Awards on WAFA’s latest Trophy, for Pack Design.

The new trophy was judged with the same rigorous process that WAFA has become known for, and is selected from Gold Medal winners who’ve already proven themselves with their product. 

But it's a significant addition - not least because this is the first award in the competition which is not purely based on taste.

It’s also a recognition that things are changing in the world of alcohol-free.

As design and branding specialists, we at PB Creative have supported the alcohol-free category for many years as it fought for space in supermarkets, on bar shelves and in restaurant wine lists. That battle isn't over. But crucially, the nature of the competition has shifted.

When taste quality is taken as read your brand needs another way to win

When shelf space was scarce and consumer awareness was low, simply being there was an advantage. Consumers had to seek your brand out. But distribution has grown and quality in the bottle is no longer enough in itself to get you listings. In fact, it’s taken as read. And when taste excellence is proven and widely achieved, it means that your brand needs another way to win. 

In short, the question is no longer: ‘Does it taste good?’ It’s ‘Can your brand win the moment when a consumer scans that shelf? In shops, bars and restaurants, your product has just a few seconds to answer the question: What is this and is it for me? 

This is not just design as decoration or  simply making something look good; it’s design as clarity.

Send the right signals - instantly

Top performing brands are the ones that are understood immediately. They answer consumer questions before they're asked. They show what they are. They signal who they're for.

And they do this through every design choice: packaging, typography, colour, and imagery. In short, making a great liquid is the first step in the process. Having great design is what will help you to sell it.

The brands that get this right are easy to understand, instantly relevant to buyers and consistent across every touchpoint, from bottle to website to social media.

This shift in competition is exactly why conversations around design and branding matter more than ever. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more on what winning alcohol-free brands are getting right, what others can learn from them, and the thinking behind the new WAFA Design Trophy.

We’ll also be exploring these themes in more depth through a forthcoming webinar on how design helps drinks brands get chosen before the first sip. Email the WAFA team on info@worldafawards.com if you'd like to attend. Click here to find out more about PB Creative.