PGA Professional Rick Shiels, host of the world’s most popular YouTube golf channel, Rick Shiels Golf, has enrolled the services of brand agency Dawn to help strengthen the brand identity as he seeks to reach new audiences and grow his 2.73m global subscriber base still further.
While Shiels has established himself as the master of his field, there were a number of key areas in which Dawn could help broaden the overall brand’s reach and market appeal. These included defining its purpose and values, rooted in Ricks’ vision of making golf accessible and enjoyable for everyone, before moving into creative direction and content consistency.
Working around the central theme of ‘play’, the team at Dawn sought to build on Shiel’s mission to remove the elitist perceptions of golf as a sport and improve accessibility to all. The aim is to encourage more people to not only switch on to his channels but to get out and play the game.
To bring cohesion to Rick’s channels, Dawn created a graphical framework from a classic photo by Harold Eugene Edgerton, ‘Bobby Jones with a Driver,’ which used stroboscope techniques to capture the movement of a golf swing. While a focus on visual language, typography, and other visual features brought consistency to content. The result is a revitalized brand identity that is both cohesive and adaptable, ready for what comes next for the brand.
Oli Furze, Head of Design at Dawn, commented: ‘It’s been an absolute delight working with the team at Rick Shiels Media. Our primary goal was to build a foundation for future growth and diversification beyond the YouTube channel for him, while maintaining consistency and enhancing engagement.
“The team has worked hard to create a visual plane that unifies Rick’s digital presence while appealing to a broader audience, seeking to attract more golf enthusiasts and players across all platforms.’
Neil Richardson, Head of Business Development and Strategy at Rick Shiels Media, commented: ‘‘As the global leader in the YouTube Golf space, Rick Shiels Media is a company that values innovation, creativity, and excellence. We had high expectations when we approached Dawn for our brand development needs. We were not only looking for a visually appealing and unique brand identity but also a team that could understand our vision and translate it into a compelling brand narrative. Dawn Creative surpassed our expectations with their creativity and originality.”