Cobwebs overtook the bridge to the tree house, smoke rolled over the stairs to the castle-turned-crypt, and one designer even created a giant monster head to go over his door, making anyone who entered, dinner for the beast. A full haunted house was constructed, complete with “REDRUM” painted on the walls and treats for any survivors.

While the Halloween party featured all of these and more, the biggest stars were the costumes. As to be expected of company full of “Creationeers”, each costume was chalked full of innovative thinking. While seeing Jigsaw or Papa Smurf may not be too out of the ordinary, what about a dining room table, complete with meal and flower centerpiece headdress?

That’s just the beginning. Despite the normally cheerful vibe the company radiates, some employees tapped into their darker sides for a healthy dose of macabre…The mounted head of Bambi’s mother was not a costume for the faint of heart.

But perhaps the most hilarious and ingenious is the marriage between childhood innocence and the sweets that Halloween is (in)famous for: giant PEZ dispensers of Calvin and Hobbes. Certainly not another Elsa or Minion.

Awards were handed out for categories such as: Best Group Costume, Best Company Theme Costume, Best Costume Costume, and of course, a Best Overall Costume award.

Such creativity reflects just what Inventionland is about: a creative workplace to foster innovation and make mere ideas into tangible reality. It promotes not just employee (and visitor) satisfaction, but an immersive atmosphere that proves that there’s no such thing as a bad idea.

And most certainly no bad costumes.

The post When Creativity Meets Halloween… appeared first on Inventionland.

In a recent blog, we noted that Inventionland is sponsoring “The Ultimate Pitch” contest at the Craft & Hobby Association’s Creativation show in Phoenix, Arizona next week. This contest will award one innovator $10,000 and the chance to develop their invention idea. While the contest has drawn some creative ideas and the large trade show floor may be what they’re calling “the capital of the creative products industry,” we’re quite certain that we have a ton of creativity happening right here at Inventionland daily!

“I love how creative I get to be with my job,” said Graphic Designer Tess in a new episode of Inside Inventionland, our video series that highlights our talented team of Creationeers both personally and professionally.

“I also like that there’s so many different projects you get to work on and so many people have such different ideas. I feel like I’m constantly learning about new things and I just think that’s awesome,” said Tess who works on everything from package design to industrial design, to display, virtual board and presentation creation.

In her Inside Inventionland video, we get to learn all about Tess as she dives right into her love for her job, water activities, watercolor painting and more. Hear it straight from Tess here:

In case you missed an episode, you can catch the rest of the Inside Inventionland series by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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As Inventionland’s Build Line Manager, Creationeer Clay manages the prototyping department. As Clay likes to explain it, “I break stuff and turn it into other stuff and show other people how to break stuff and turn it into other stuff.”

As we’ve come to learn before, Clay is a talented builder himself, even creating an automaton named “Rusty” out of vehicle parts that now lives at Inventionland.

Friends describe him as “that guy” as he’s not only a builder, but a fixer. According to Clay, he’s “that guy” friends call when you need help from the man with useful skills and a plan, even as it relates to surviving a zombie apocalypse, for all of you fans of the hit AMC television series, The Walking Dead.

Clay kicked off our Inside Inventionland video series and now he’s back with his own feature. Watch and learn a little more about Clay, his zombie apocalypse survival plan, and other “cool stuff behind closed doors” at Inventionland!

In case you missed an episode, you can catch the rest of the Inside Inventionland series by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

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Every day, our talented group of Creationeers is inspired and encouraged to dare to invent. Inventionland’s 61,000 square foot facility is not only filled with talented people, but also the amazing things each and every one of them make.

As any maker may attest to, there’s a sense of pride that comes out of creating something new. In a video as part of our Inside Inventionland web series, Creationeer Jon talked about his unique role in building many of the special projects that ultimately become part of our creative space.

Well, Jon was recently at it again with a newly completed project that really helps set the scene at Inventionland. Once he got word from founder and CEO Mr. George Davison, all Jon could say was, “ACTION!”

“Mr. Davison wanted a marquee above the entrance to the theater, so he asked me to come up with some ideas,” said Jon who brought the marquee sign project through the key stages of development.

Ideation Sketches

Sketching ideas is a helpful way to brainstorm. Getting your ideas to flow freely onto paper is a skill in itself, which Jon utilized to figure out the design and dimensions of the new marquee sign before moving forward.

Concept Model

“I know when [Mr. D] wants me to go further with one of his ideas, he wants me to make it into a concept model,” said Jon who mentioned that nothing beats a concept model when it comes to enabling others, and even yourself, to see exactly how a concept will or sometimes will not work.

“It was a challenge to figure out how to make this into a real sign,” said Jon. “It was way harder creating the sign than the concept model because cardboard (used in the concept model creation) is really easy to bend and put together. I just had to rethink how I was going to make this concept and use different materials that would work for a permanent fixture,” said Jon who feels that overcoming the challenges of a project can be frustrating, but fun!

Completed Project

“Once you get it figured out and get past all the stress, it’s super rewarding to see it done and Mr. D was very happy about it, so that’s the ultimate reward right there! That and the fact that it gets to be part of the set,” said Jon.

“That’s my favorite thing about this job. It’s awesome that I get to do stuff that becomes a permanent part of the Inventionland set. When they bring people in on the tours, all of those people get to see my work,” said Jon.

Did you enjoy this piece of “edutainment”? Go even further and schedule your group for an Inventionland tour today to see Jon’s new marquee sign and more!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post A Sneak Preview of a New Addition to the Inventionland Set appeared first on Inventionland.

At Inventionland, our talented Creationeers use their skills to make, craft, design and build every day. In this latest episode of Inside Inventionland, Creationeer Jenna reminds us that art is all around us.

“The inner city is just a plethora of artistic possibility,” said Jenna as she spoke of the city of Pittsburgh as one of her favorite places to take her camera and capture photography.

Apparently, an eye for photography runs in the family, as Jenna’s grandfather had sparked her interest when he left her all of his video and photography equipment.

“I like photography because it makes people see things in a different way.”

Just outside of Jenna’s favorite photography spots in the city stands our 61,000 square foot creative space, where Jenna, an Inventionland Design Coordinator, gets to bring her photography passion and talent to work, on top of other duties making sure all design projects go off in a smooth and organized manner.

“I wouldn’t be so good at doing photography here if I didn’t do photography out of here,” she said.

As is true when it comes to photography, there’s often more than meets the eye! Watch for a better glimpse into Jenna’s personal and professional world here:

In case you missed an episode, you can catch the rest of the Inside Inventionland series by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post Creationeer Jenna Encourages All to See Things in a Different Way appeared first on Inventionland.

The doors of our creative design facility are always open for visitors to take a tour around our creative space, but every now and again, they’re opened for a peek into the lives of our hardworking Creationeers.

In the latest episode of Inside Inventionland, we meet Creationeer Jon who is frequently working on some of the special set items that make Inventionland such a unique space.

According to Jon, he feels like he was born with a passion for art, so finding a career that utilizes his skills every day seemed like a no brainer!

“I say that this profession kind of chose me,” says Jon.

Art isn’t the only thing that chose Jon; so too did his wife and fellow Creationeer Sharon who works on prototypes at Inventionland.

“I’m most thankful for my wife…” says Jon. “The fact that I get to work with her every day now; this is the best time in my life!”

Not only is he able to live out his passion for art, he’s also able to work with the one he loves; so it’s pretty easy to see why Jon says that creating special projects at Inventionland “doesn’t really feel like work” at all!

This was just a little teaser of what’s to come in this installment of Inside Inventionland! See what else Jon had to say in his episode below:

In case you missed an episode, you can catch the rest of the Inside Inventionland series by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post Creationeer Jon is Taking us ‘Inside Inventionland!’ appeared first on Inventionland.

Inside Inventionland has given us an all-access pass to the lives, both professionally and personally, of some of our Creationeers. In the latest installment, Creationeer Sarah gives us an exclusive look at a day in her shoes.

Creationeer Sarah works on designing products and says that she started at Inventionland as a MacGyver of sorts.

“I always like to learn new things and my hobbies really helped me to get a job here, so that was pretty great!” said Sarah.

MacGyver has a positive, can-do attitude and that’s what Sarah tries to mimic, day in and day out. With a positive outlook on life, Sarah considers herself an all-around happy person.

“Being grumpy is no way to live,” said Sarah.

Every day when she comes through the doors of Inventionland, Sarah puts her education and her raw talents to the test. Beyond her busy schedule and tenacity to succeed, Sarah somehow finds time to lend her expertise to a local brewery in her spare time.

So, what is Creationeer Sarah happy to brew up and what are the three words that she uses to describe Inventionland? All that and more is in the latest installment of Inside Inventionland. 

Craving even more Inside Inventionland? Catch all episodes by checking the Inventionland blog or subscribing to the YouTube channel today!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post What do MacGyver and Creationeer Sarah Have in Common? appeared first on Inventionland.

“…I never watch the clock. I never feel drained. You’re always pushed to do something here…Here, I’m like ‘Oh no! I have to stop working?!’ I don’t dread Mondays anymore. I’m insanely happy here,” said Inventionland’s newest Prototype Builder Samm.

Creationeer Samm’s journey began right here at our invention factory in March, when she became inspired by the Inventionland culture and environment – something that continues to motivate her in her work each busy day.

“Everybody is like-minded, but they’re all individuals as well; all different,” said Samm. “And the same thing with the job as well. It can be something different every day and there’s always something to do. There’s not a ton of down time, so you don’t have idle hands. It’s nice to be able to switch between tasks and refresh your head a little bit. You can literally just pick something else up.”

With the help of fellow Creationeers, Samm has adjusted quickly to the unique environment at Inventionland, even picking up new skills as she continues to fine tune her rapid prototyping work.

“I go back in [the Proto Shop] for an hour or two every day to help out and learn. That’s completely new for me. That was actually a little scary for me as I never used [the machines]. It’s actually really cool and it’s not as nerve-racking anymore,” said Samm, noting that rapid prototyping is something she enjoys.

“I like watching the outer layers and the wall structure build up. It’s always something to watch. It’s really cool just to see it go,” said Samm.

Now, rapid prototyping isn’t the only new skill that Samm’s picked up along the way. In fact, she’s also been able to brush up on some of the skills that she’s already been trained on.

“Even stuff I thought I knew, now I know ten better ways to do it. Everyone is super helpful here. They’re happy to jump in and show you. Some people are even just excited that you asked. It’s the perfect environment,” said Samm. “…There is really no wrong way of doing things. It’s just tinkering and messing with things that really motivates me.”

Samm’s motivating spirit translates into her hobbies, too, which include wood working.

“[I love doing] anything in the Wood Shop. I love to work with wood. A lot of my art is actually wood-based. I also love using the laser cutters,” said Samm, who is a multi-talented artist!

“I do a lot of mixed media work, along with a lot of geometric vector designs,” she said. “A lot of really tedious stuff,” said Samm, whoshared an exciting glimpse at a piece that she created over an 8-10 month period, using up to 40,000 glass seed beads!

Clearly dedicated to her passion, when it comes to creating art, Samm finds beauty in almost anything – a quality and skill that she’s had and used throughout her entire life.

“I always kind of had to work with whatever materials were at home when I was younger. You can make a picture out of anything and that’s how I kind of started in vector art, too; breaking things down into line work,” said Samm. “I started tinkering with things and it’s just amazing what you find when you open things up. Think of something like circuitry; there’s actually people that do circuitry art. Things like that inspire me to think ‘What can I do with that?’ I like to recycle materials.”

Similar to materials bins found at Inventionland, “I have my own ‘Magic Bins’ at home,” said Samm.

“I have these five gallon totes and they’re full of all kinds of things that you can mess with. That’s the best part about it – scrap is inspirational. It just starts a foundation for an entire piece.”

It most certainly sounds like Samm is starting to leave her mark at Inventionland and is more motivated than ever to continue to build on that.

 “Just to be constantly learning and trying new things. I especially enjoy trial and error. Some people just want to get it right the first time, but I actually like to see how things can go wrong. It’s great, because it doesn’t always go right the first time, so when you’re repeating things later and an issue arises, you already know how to fix it… that’s part of the learning experience. Something always needs tweaked,” she said.

One thing is for sure – this Inventionland Creationeer’s positive attitude has kept her moving forward in both her career and her artistic passions. Special thanks to this Prototype Builder for sharing a little bit of her life with us!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post Talented Creationeer Brings Positive Mindset to Inventionland Daily appeared first on Inventionland.

Inventionland Senior Design Manager, Clay, recently introduced a new friend to Inventionland’s Proto Shop. This friend, an automaton dubbed “Rusty,” is a product of Clay’s own hard work and creativity as he prepared Rusty for display at Pittsburgh’s 19^th annual Art All Night event on April 23^rd through April 24^th.

During this free, grassroots community event, artists put their art pieces on display in hopes of engaging people both young and old through interactive projects.

“I knew Art All Night was coming up,” Clay said. “I had a big pile of all the parts that I’ve pulled off of both of my vehicles over the last six months. It seemed like a match made in heaven to put those parts together and make a ‘guy’ and get rid of a bunch of other miscellaneous junk at the same time.”

You might be wondering why Clay would be pulling parts off of his vehicles in the name of Rusty. Well, these weren’t brand-new cars. In fact, they are anything but!

“The truck is at 230,000 miles. The car is almost at 170,000 miles, so that means that combined my two vehicles have about 400,000 miles between them, so they need a little bit of work,” he said. “It’s a hobby when I’m doing the stuff that I want to do. It’s a stress when I’m doing the things that I have to do and they pile up. So then I end up with a pile of parts.”

This “pile of parts” would make up the components of Rusty.

“Rusty is about 95% vehicle parts, 5% other stuff,” said Clay.

“Other stuff” isn’t exactly too descriptive, so Clay expounded a bit. Flashlights, a speaker, clamps, bungee cords, nuts and bolts, brackets, a motor mount, ball joints from his truck, car exhausts, truck shocks, window weight pulleys, exhaust flex shafts, spark plugs and a piece of sign post metal were all used to create Rusty.

“The head is made of a reflector to a work light, while the feet are made out of caulking guns. I always hated those kinds of caulking guns. When I was trying to think of what I was going to use for feet, it seemed like a great opportunity to get rid of those,” he said. “I wanted him to be completely pose-able. I could have welded all the joints rigidly and held him in a dynamic pose, but I wanted him to be able to get into pretty much any normal human-style pose. Now, he has ankles that can move, but have enough spring action to hold his weight so he won’t fall forward.”

Clay spent time in his garage, welding away, so Rusty could be ready for Art All Night. A total of 28 hours went into building Rusty.

“The neighbors loved it,” said Clay. One of his neighbors is Creative Design Manager, Tim, who stopped by to get a glimpse of Rusty in the making.

“I had my garage doors open all night; was up grinding and welding. Fortunately, [my neighbors] were more curious than annoyed. They came out and were very interested in what I was doing. When Rusty was done, everyone was very excited. Kids love Rusty,” said Clay.

It turns out that kids aren’t the only people who love Rusty because he also received a positive reaction at the event as well!

So what’s the next stop for Rusty?

“I think that he is probably going to stake a claim in front of the Metal Shop, because the Metal Shop kind of represents Rusty’s kinship to a certain degree,” said Clay.

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post This Creationeer’s Idea was a Little ‘Rusty’ appeared first on Inventionland.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

This quote holds true especially for Inventionland Designer Tess and her most recent display of creativity.

You may recall in a previous blog post when Tess said, “I have enjoyed art ever since I can remember. Everyone has always been extremely encouraging, even at a very young age. Even in grade school, my mom could pick my pieces out instantly from the rest of my class.”

The same encouragement was evident the night of Thursday, December 3, when fellow Inventionland coworkers and friends attended the Holiday RAWk 2015 event in support of their friend, Tess.

At the event, Kamban had a booth that was set up to display and sell her artwork, which included ornaments and even more watercolor pieces that were perfect for the holidays.

Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments

Ornament tree

Rudolph characters

The event was held at Mr. Smalls in Millvale, PA and was presented by RAW: Pittsburgh. RAW’s mission is “to provide independent artists within the first 10 years of their creative career with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity. RAW ventures to provide the platform for these artists to be seen, heard, and loved.”

Coworkers, friends, and Holiday RAWk-goers seemed to do just that, as the love for Tess’ pieces resulted in her being able to sell quite a few items.

“I love having my friends’ and coworkers’ support; it’s something I love doing and it’s great when others come to enjoy it!” exclaimed Tess.

Her flare for creativity doesn’t stop once her day is over at Inventionland and, as evidenced by her designs, her creativity extends into her life outside of her career, too! Tess continues to share her love for design with friends and coworkers outside of the walls of our creative space.

If you’d like to see more of her designs, visit her Etsy shop, here!

Happy Holidays!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Image:

https://rawartists.org/pittsburgh/holidayrawk201

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