MASCOTS FOR THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
In 2020, I had the privilege of illustrating the chatbot avatar, 'Wanda,' for The New York State Department of Health's WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program. This program provides special supplemental nutrition to pregnant women and children under the age of 5. I collaborated with AdirA, Monica Chaudhari, and Anna Kravets on this project.
In 2021, AdirA once again approached me to create a mascot for a portal catering to the Black community. To ensure cultural authenticity, the team consulted with a cultural expert in order to design an avatar that genuinely represents the community. The goal was to create a mascot that exudes vivacity, intelligence, and trustworthiness.
In 2022, NYS Department of Health collaborated with Pfizer and I designed a mascot for the Latino community, aimed at promoting vaccines among portal users. Given that the user base consisted mainly of elderly individuals, the objective was to create a character that evoked confidence and reliability. I was specifically asked to develop a mascot reminiscent of their caring and intelligent daughters, someone whose opinion they could trust
