UKTV’s Dave makes light of the everyday with a colorful makeover

Debuting tomorrow, the bright new look will provide viewers with some respite from the grays of winter by zeroing in on beans, goldfish and toilet rolls for a suite of domestic idents.

Led by UKTV’s interim marketing director Nick Gilmer, the rebrand was developed with brand consultancy Eat Big Fish alongside the broadcaster’s in-house creative team, branding agency Studio Output and brand strategists Craig+Bridget.

Gilmer said: “With a brand as distinctive and celebrated as Dave, keeping it fresh and relevant to audiences was a real balancing act. We had to ensure Dave continues to feel modern and resonates with viewers without losing the unique identity that made the brand one of the most recognizable on TV. Our new look reflects our audience’s everyday world back at them in a uniquely Dave way, borrowing from our heritage and ensuring Dave provides viewers with a fresh fix of funny wherever they engage with the brand.”

UKTV’s head of design Peter Allinson added: “As UKTV Creative we wanted to take the smart, comic Dave tone of voice and apply it to the biggest canvas of all; everyday life. Inserting Dave into the world of our viewers allows us to really resonate as a brand. Dave’s fresh new look and design language also helps us open up the Dave ‘world,’ from telly and YouTube to podcasts and TikToks. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new Dave!”

These efforts extend to a new typeface, animations and real-world videos to serve as backdrops for continuity announcers, logos and commercial breaks.

Dave’s fresh new look follows a similar makeover of the W and UKTV Play brands.