Creative Director June 2024 - present

I joined Baby Bunting to spearhead the creative transformation of Australia and New Zealand's largest baby retailer. Over the past year, I've led the creative strategy of repositioning the brand from a tired, transactional retailer to a brand that genuinely connects with modern families navigating the overwhelming journey of early parenthood.

In this time, I established and scaled a full creative team while implementing operational changes and new workflows to support increased creative output across brand and retail campaigns. I delivered the company's first major brand campaign alongside our new 'Store of the Future' retail concept with our agency partner the General Store. Working closely with leadership and our PR agency Praytell, we also launched comprehensive research into modern parenting for Australian families through the "Future Village Report," developed a completely refreshed visual identity and tone of voice, and built an inclusive creative approach that authentically represents today's diverse families.

As a strategically focused creative leader, I've prioritised work that drives genuine business impact while building scalable creative operations that support authentic emotional connections with parents. The brand transformation contributed to strong FY25 business results, with record sales and significant improvements in key performance metrics, as well as significant improvements in brand health across both Australia and New Zealand through customer sentiment and market positioning.

Brief

While Baby Bunting is a well known and loved amongst grandparents, the brand had become tired and was losing relevance with modern parents. We needed a brand campaign to shift perceptions in the market and support our brand refresh including the rollout of a new brand ID and Store of the Future in Australia. The campaign also needed to support our efforts to establish the brand in New Zealand as a new entrant. Parents in both markets were facing rising costs, limited shopping choices, and the everyday challenges of modern parenting. The brief was to position Baby Bunting as not just another retailer, but as a supportive partner that makes parenting easier and more affordable.

Solution

Born for this. very new parent discovers abilities they never knew they had. We created a campaign celebrating how parents naturally evolve into specialists of every situation - the clever workarounds, budget stretches, and creative solutions that prove you were born for this. Rather than generic parenting sentimentality, we showcased authentic moments of real parent resourcefulness while positioning Baby Bunting as the supportive partner who backs their instincts with practical solutions. The campaign helped shift brand perceptions in Australia during our brand refresh while establishing meaningful awareness in New Zealand as a new market entrant.

Credits
Senior Copywriter : Natasha Wood
Art director : Cristina Muffatti
Designer : Felicity Steele
Motion Designer : Sara Benoist
Sound Design : Bang Bang Studios – Tristan Dewey
Production Agency : Sam I Am – Toby Burrows

Store of the future

Becoming a new parent is already daunting, and our stores didn't help, with most parents finding them overwhelming and uninviting. Working with The General Store, we flipped this completely, putting the customer experience at the heart of everything.

The new stores bring the home experience into the retail environment, creating spaces that feel open, welcoming, and inviting. With less clutter and products on the floor, parents can test products properly, navigate easily, and find what they want (even with prams and tired toddlers in tow) while getting expert advice without feeling rushed.

Our in-house team supported The General Store with naming and key design elements, ensuring everything felt authentically Baby Bunting while supporting the overall customer journey.

Credits
Agency : The General Store
Senior Copywriter : Natasha Wood
Designer : Suhani Gupta
Store Photography : Tom Blachford
Drone footage : Visual Culture

Brief

Coinciding with the brand refresh and our Store of the Future launch, we wanted to generate PR and establish Baby Bunting as the authoritative voice on modern parenting challenges.

The Future Village Report is a substantial report that demonstrates our deep understanding of what today's parents actually face. The research revealed critical insights that validated our strategic direction including:

• 85% of parents acknowledge the traditional 'village' has fundamentally changed

• 73% now rely on paid support as part of their parenting network.

• 63% of parents experience decision paralysis from information overload, consulting an average of four different sources before making key parenting decisions.

• 51% of parents feel pressured by other families

This insight directly supported our brand transformation approach. Rather than adding to the noise, we positioned Baby Bunting as the expert guide that cuts through overwhelm.

Launched strategically with our PR agency, the report generated significant media coverage and positioned us as category thought leaders. More importantly, it helped position Baby Bunting as the retailer that truly understands the realities of modern parenting.

Credits
Agency : Praytell
Copywriter : Natasha Wood
Art Director : Cristina Muffatti
Designer : Felicity Steele

visual identity and style guide

Transforming our visual identity was a key piece of work in shifting perceptions of the brand from a tired, transactional retailer to a modern brand that genuinely represents today's families. Working collaboratively with our agency partner while leading significant portions in-house, we developed a comprehensive identity that spanned visual design, photography approach, tone of voice, and retail communications. The identity refresh also included work on our brand architecture, establishing clear hierarchies and relationships across our services, private labels, partnerships, and expanding brand portfolio.

The new photography direction helped move the brand beyond staged cliches, and established guidelines for both studio shots and lifestyle photography that authentically represent diverse family structures, ethnicities, and parenting styles. This inclusive approach extended to our new brand ID, ensuring our new colour palette was AA compliant.

We also updated our brand tone of voice to be more conversational, supportive, and understanding of modern parents, rather than purely transactional. The updated visual system works across all touchpoints, from in-store ticketing and communications through to digital, social, and campaigns, helping us to create consistency while allowing flexibility for different contexts.

Most importantly, our new brand ID is a clear signal to modern parents that Baby Bunting understands their reality and speaks their language, helping to build brand health through authentic relationship building rather than just product promotion.

Credits
Copywriter : Natasha Wood
Designer : Suhani Gupta
Agency : The General Store