I am Catherine. I love collaborating with community-minded organisations on visual identity, community engagement and storytelling.

When I was 15 my parents took me for an aptitude test. The results clearly pointed to Graphic Design.
I ignored the results.
I did not want a life stuck behind a computer.
I enjoy interacting with people way too much!

So instead I headed into Community Cultural Development and used the Arts as a vehicle for social change. One of the highlights was coordinating large creative projects in Residential Aged Care facilities and seeing how getting people involved in the Arts brought about a sense of belonging and joy, amongst many other social outcomes. I did a bunch of research on this and published the findings in academic journals, but I lacked a way of telling the stories and advocating for important causes in visually effective and engaging ways. I found myself more and more wishing I had the Graphic Design skills to do this well…

So when I had my babies I studied Graphic Design on the side. People asked me how I could study while having young kids.
I asked them how I could not. Having a creative outlet and intellectual stimulation kept me going when the early days of motherhood were relentless and isolating.

Nowadays I understand that community and design work go hand in hand (and do not equate to a life stuck behind a computer).
And that’s where kindesign was born.

It is design for goodness’ sake.