and the Creators Behind STEM⋅E’s New Mascot
—Boston, MA
In the changing world of COVID-19, organizations are turning to online initiatives to continue their work in isolation. This has caused many companies to look at their methods with a digital lens. While the world may be deprived of in-person contact, online creators have been prompted to collaborate and create over virtual platforms.
I've had some time to think about what I'm really passionate about." - Solomon Williams on how Covid has shaped his digital art
This opportunity is one which STEM⋅E is currently seizing, while revamping their online presence in order to make them not only more reachable, but also giving creators of all mediums a chance to change the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics virtually. One member of this team, Solomon Williams, STEM⋅E’s Digital Graphics Designer, took this opportunity to create a staple of the organization; a little lightbulb by the name of Huey.
While this light bulb may be little, Huey is no small part of STEM⋅E. This mascot is not only a symbol of STEM⋅E itself, but also a symbol of digital creators and their craft. In fact, a lot goes into
creating art such as Huey. Williams explains that coming up with a digital art product takes more than just working on a computer. In fact, for Williams, it started years before. He stated that, “I’ve been drawing since I was nine, and I had a love for cartoons and anime. I’ve always thought it was cool to see moving pictures and that every picture has its own uniqueness.” From there, Williams was able to shape his knowledge by this love of art, as well as graphic design and digital media classes in order to learn his art form.
Fast forwarding to the time of Covid-19, Williams collaborated with Andria Balogh, STEM⋅E’s Founder and Executive Director, in order to create a new logo. The process began with a plethora of brainstorming and many drafts of what the new logo might look like. Even as they were able to come up with a design, there was still the task of naming STEM⋅E’s newest member. With this, Williams showed that sometimes, an idea just strikes you. He explained, “ Ms. Andria and I looked up synonyms of light and I saw ‘hue,’ so I put a name together and boom, ‘Huey.’” Thus, with a lot of brainstorming and a little wordplay, Huey was born.
Balogh also had a strong vision of what she wanted the new mascot to represent. She stated that, “I envisioned a mascot for several reasons. One- I wanted a fun way to represent what we do here at STEM⋅E. The light bulb is a cornerstone of our logo and our brand because [it] represents intelligence, creativity, ideation; all skills that tie together everything we teach in STEM and Entrepreneurship.” She also describes how Huey represents these concepts in a fun way, making the program into a game with point levels where students can earn prizes, and that it is essential to have a character to take them through this game. Most importantly, Balogh sees Huey as a guide for the students of STEM⋅E. She explains that Huey is not only helping students move through the program, but also “through their educational journey to find their professional passion for the future.”
"A light bulb represents intelligence, creativity, ideation; all skills that tie together everything we teach in STEM and Entrepreneurship." - Andria Balogh
Williams and Balogh show that creating art may be hard work, especially in the world of Covid-19, but it is also an inspiring process. Huey may be a little lightbulb, but he/she stands for the values of STEM⋅E and those that are interested in STEM, learning in a way that is by no means small or trivial. With this in mind STEM⋅E hopes that students will let Huey guide them to their future in STEM.