When you are a creative and a graphic designer and you are faced with a problem that is not part of a client brief and emerges outside of the workplace, you turn to the tools of your trade, and use design thinking to solve the challenge. That is what designer Cathy Solarana did when faced with diversity and race problems facing her own daughter and also within the creative industry. She found that design thinking is not only a powerful framework and problem solving tool in the workplace, but can be used to drive social innovation and community change Cathy Solarana is the founding principal, designer, and brand and equity strategist at Wheelhouse Collective. She is energized by all things design. She loves problem solving and partnering with visionary organizations. Cathy and her multi-disciplinary team employ design thinking and human-centered solutions to create powerful brand experiences that make true connections and produce strong outcomes. More than anything, Cathy’s sense of social justice runs deep. She integrates her diversity and inclusion experience into the design thinking of Wheelhouse with a focus toward equity in our teams, process, and projects. She also served as the very first Diversity and Inclusion Director for AIGA Nebraska and continues to mentor local young designers of color. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
When you are a creative and a graphic designer and you are faced with a problem that is not part of a client brief and emerges outside of the workplace, you turn to the tools of your trade, and use design thinking to solve the challenge. That is what designer Cathy Solarana did when faced with diversity and race problems facing her own daughter and also within the creative industry. She found that design thinking is not only a powerful framework and problem solving tool in the workplace, but can be used to drive social innovation and community change Cathy Solarana is the founding principal, designer, and brand and equity strategist at Wheelhouse Collective. She is energized by all things design. She loves problem solving and partnering with visionary organizations. Cathy and her multi-disciplinary team employ design thinking and human-centered solutions to create powerful brand experiences that make true connections and produce strong outcomes. More than anything, Cathy’s sense of social justice runs deep. She integrates her diversity and inclusion experience into the design thinking of Wheelhouse with a focus toward equity in our teams, process, and projects. She also served as the very first Diversity and Inclusion Director for AIGA Nebraska and continues to mentor local young designers of color. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
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