Global Cycling Network
Global Cycling Network (GCN) is one of the world’s leading cycling media brands, with millions of fans across YouTube, digital platforms, and its subscription service GCN+. As part of the in-house creative team, I worked on projects that combined campaign design, digital product support, and performance-driven marketing.
The role required flexibility and speed. Broadcast rights and campaign requirements often changed at short notice, and multiple agencies were involved across rollout projects. My work focused on keeping design output bold, engaging, and consistent. Key projects included leading the Giro d’Italia 2024 campaign, supporting the GCN+ app rollout across new platforms, and producing targeted creative for the Apple TV launch.
Giro d’Italia 2024 Campaign
The Giro d’Italia is a landmark in the cycling calendar and one of GCN’s most important campaigns. I was tasked with leading the creative output across digital, print, and broadcast environments for GCN+.
The Challenge
The campaign needed to:
Work across multiple territories and languages.
Adapt quickly to last-minute changes in broadcast rights.
Capture attention externally while delivering a premium feel inside the app.
Remain recognisable as a GCN+ campaign while being distinctively race-specific.
The Approach
I created a modular design system that could be rolled out across formats quickly and consistently. This gave the team the flexibility to update creative without losing impact or coherence.
Two complementary visual approaches were developed:
External promotion: Bold, dramatic visuals built around race-defining moments, designed for display banners, posters, and social ads. These were focused on acquisition and awareness.
In-app content: A refined, premium style that prioritised clarity and navigation. This maintained a consistent experience for paying subscribers and supported retention.
Execution
Outputs included:
Social ads and digital banners (multi-language and multi-territory).
HTML5 animations and Google Display Network campaigns.
Email campaigns and landing pages.
Poster artwork and race-specific graphics.
Broadcast graphics used during live coverage.
Outcome
The modular approach allowed us to react quickly to changes and deliver a consistent campaign across every channel. The external creative successfully captured attention and drove subscriptions, while the in-app visuals ensured clarity and premium presentation for existing users.
GCN+ App Rollout
Alongside campaign work, I supported the expansion of the GCN+ app onto Apple TV, Samsung TV, Roku, iPad, and Google Play.
The Challenge
Because the rollout was handled by multiple agencies, there was a risk of inconsistency across platforms. At the same time, the transition from Race TV to GCN+ created the need to refine the user interface, making it easier for subscribers to distinguish between free and paid content areas.
The Approach
My role focused on maintaining visual alignment and improving the overall user experience:
Designed App Store artwork and launch graphics to support discoverability.
Produced boosted social content to drive downloads and engagement.
Reviewed and reworked areas of the UI where inconsistencies appeared between platforms.
Used Figma to refine user flows and apply consistent design treatments.
Collaborated with the in-house UX lead and external testers to validate improvements.
Outcome
The rollout created a more cohesive and intuitive experience across devices. The refined UI helped subscribers navigate more easily between free and paid areas, reducing confusion and supporting conversion. Visual consistency across platforms also reinforced GCN’s premium positioning in a competitive streaming landscape.
Transition from Race TV to GCN+
The transition from Race TV to GCN+ created an opportunity to refine the app’s interface and user experience. The aim was to make it easier for users to navigate between free and paid content while ensuring the product felt premium and cohesive.
I supported the redesign by working in Figma to define clearer user journeys and apply consistent treatments across screens. Key updates included reworking navigation, clarifying labelling, and introducing a stronger hierarchy to guide users through the platform.
We tested multiple concepts with both external testers and our in-house UX lead. Their feedback informed refinements that improved clarity and usability.
The result was a smoother, more intuitive app experience that helped subscribers understand the product offering more easily. This supported both conversion and retention at a critical stage in the platform’s growth.
Outcome
My work at GCN combined large-scale campaign delivery with digital product design and targeted marketing. Across each project, I created adaptable design systems that worked across territories, languages, and platforms.
The Giro d’Italia campaign balanced acquisition and retention through a modular system.
The GCN+ rollout improved consistency and user experience across devices.
The Apple TV campaign supported adoption in the US with targeted performance-driven creative.
The Race TV transition created a clearer, more intuitive app, strengthening the subscriber experience.
Together, these projects highlight my ability to design at scale in a fast-moving environment, balancing bold creative with system thinking to support both user needs and business goals.