Brand & Creative Strategy · London
I close the gap between what a brand is and how it's perceived.
I'm Cat Hayward, a brand and creative strategist in London. I work with hospitality, wellness, fashion and lifestyle brands across the whole distance from strategy to execution. What a brand stands for, how it sounds, how it looks, and what it makes to show up in culture. Some of that is positioning and narrative. Some of it is creative direction, content, and the things people actually stop to watch.
About Catherine Hayward
I work with brands and talent that care about the gap between what they are and how they're perceived. Most of the time, that gap isn't a creative problem; it's a clarity one, and my job is to close it.
My background runs across multi-brand hospitality, founder-led fashion, luxury property and wellness, alongside the platforms and content I build under Noted by Cat. Taste, to me, is pattern recognition. Noticing what's already true about a brand and what's shifting around it, then making decisions that other people can feel.
Content & Creative
For brands that want to turn strategy into content people actually want to engage with. I develop social-first ideas, creative concepts and content systems that feel relevant to the brand while still working within the pace and culture of digital platforms. This can span concepting, content strategy, filming and editing through to campaigns, launches and ongoing social content.
Brand Strategy
For brands that need greater clarity around who they are, where they sit and how they should communicate. I help shape the strategic foundations behind the brand, from positioning and messaging to tone of voice, audience thinking and content pillars, creating a clear framework that can guide everything from campaigns to day-to-day marketing.
Creative & Brand Direction
For businesses that need ongoing strategic and creative thinking without necessarily building a larger in-house team. I work as an extension of the brand, helping shape campaigns, guide content, develop ideas and keep the overall direction cohesive as the business evolves. It’s designed to bring consistency, momentum and a stronger point of view across everything the brand puts into the world.
Technical Capabilities
1 / Design & Content Production
Adobe Illustrator · Adobe InDesign · Canva · Figma · Adobe Premiere Pro · CapCut
2 / Digital Infrastructure & CRM
Wix · Squarespace · ReadyMag · Klaviyo
3 / Analytics & Commercial Tools
Microsoft Excel · Microsoft PowerPoint · Google Analytics · SEMrush · LaunchMetrics
How I think
01 Clarity Before Scale
Growth only works when the foundations are right. Strong positioning, audience understanding and narrative coherence come before visibility, always.
02 Culture Shapes Perception
Brands are built internally as much as externally. The way a team operates, communicates and makes decisions inevitably shapes how it's experienced by everyone outside it.
03 Creativity With Commercial Discipline
Aesthetic direction and storytelling matter, but they have to support a viable commercial model. I'm interested in ideas that can sustain themselves, not just attract attention.
04 Experience Is Strategy
From digital touchpoints to physical environments, every interaction reinforces identity. I think in systems, ensuring brands show up consistently across context, format and audience.
Let's talk
I care most about who I'm working with: founders and teams building something worth building, who want creativity with commercial thinking behind it.