Member Article

United by Design scoops Silver for beer branding

York design and branding agency United by Design is raising a pint glass to success, after its packaging designs for a local brewery’s beer range were awarded Silver at the Design Business Association (DBA)’s highly-esteemed Design Effectiveness Awards.

United by Design’s striking labels for Shipton-by-Beningbrough based Treboom Brewery’s new range of bottled beers and pump clips picked up the silver award in the Branded Drink category at the awards ceremony on Thursday, February 11th. The designs have been hugely successful, with the recognisable packaging lauded within the beer and brewing industries and the brewery’s bottle sales beating monthly targets by an astonishing 122%.

A shortlist of 61 winners was announced after two rigorous rounds of judging by senior business figures from brands such as British Airways, Channel Four and Coca Cola. As one of the smallest design agencies to be shortlisted, United by Design faced stiff competition from larger and higher-profile rivals. According to the category criteria outlined by the judging panel, United by Design’s silver award demonstrates “excellent examples of design effectiveness which have led to significant business results for the client.”

UBD’s Managing Director, Owen Turner, was overjoyed at his company’s win:

“We’re so pleased and proud to have won such a prestigious award - to have our work recognised and commended by such an esteemed panel of judges is really a turning point for us. The branded packaging we created for Treboom’s beer really sum up what United by Design is all about: starting with an idea, then going beyond the brief to take the design from engaging to truly experiential.

“The notion that design is a worthwhile investment for a growing business can be hard to quantify, but with our packaging design for Treboom I think we really ticked that box – with bottle sales increasing by 92.7% in their first year, we certainly can’t dispute the impact of our work!”

Established in 2011, Treboom Brewery approached United by Design to create a branding strategy and packaging designs for its new range of bottled beers. The brewery was keen to develop its customer base with its expansion into the bottled beer market, as well as reframing its bottled beers as premium products.

While the initial focus was on the three ales in the brewery’s core range, UBD has now produced labels and pump clips for seven Treboom beers, including their one-off ‘Maillot Blanc’ brewed to celebrate the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, and are on track to produce another six.

The new designs have been hugely successful for Treboom, with bottle sales averaging an impressive 122% above monthly targets, and bottle sales increasing by 92.7% in the first year of their launch – a true measure of design effectiveness.

Feedback from the brewery was glowing, and United by Design’s carefully-considered designs have led Treboom’s owners to continue to develop the great relationship with the agency, inviting them to extend their expertise to transforming more of the brewery’s branding. Jane Blackman, joint founder of Treboom, said: ‘The bottle label designs have been so successful in grabbing attention that we have decided to extend our core, seasonal and special ale ranges across our pump clips to reflect the bottle label designs. We feel the designs portray the right image for the brewery, making us proud not only of our beers but also the image they project.’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Annis Cordy .