A student from Kingston University (KU) impressed judges at the final of a design competition last month with her pitch for a non-alcoholic tequila.

Suzy Brewer, a third-year undergrad at KU, won plaudits from judges after submitting her presentation for a non-alcoholic version of tequila.

She was presenting "Cero" — Spanish for "zero" — a zero-percent-alcohol tequila that she came up with as her entry into the final of the JDO Raw 2019, a student design competition staged by design and branding firm JDO.

The brief for the final was to design and pitch a non-alcoholic spirit for the Generation Z market.

Ms Brewer's branding for 'Cero' played on the somewhat messy reputation tequila has among drinkers.

Her alternative to the potent spirit was presented as a counterpoint, she said.

"Because of tequila’s popularity and its unisex and youthful appeal, I decided this would be the perfect spirit to work with.

"I wanted to turn something associated with a bad hangover and make it non-alcoholic, without losing any of the fun of the drink itself," Ms Brewer said.

The judges eventually went in a different direction when awarding the winner's prize of a two-month placement at the firm plus added extras.

Nevertheless, they heaped praise on Ms Brewer's innovation and pitch for the final.

According to Fiona Florence, Managing Director at JDO and chair of the judges, competition was fierce.

"It was a challenging, provocative brief that clearly resonated with this year’s graduating design talent," she said.

"An opportunity for the students to flex some creative muscle and get their work in front of the creative industry’s most influential talent."

The judging panel featured JDO creative directors’ Paul Drake and Ben Oates, Basement Jaxx musician Felix Buxton and David Marchant, PepsiCo’s Head of Design for Western Europe.