On a daily basis, Inventionland Corporate Industrial Designer John’s job-related tasks vary as he handles everything from new product design, engineering, prototyping, building, finishing and sometimes even packaging. For John, diving right into each and every project in various capacities is something he enjoys, as it offers him the opportunity to continuously use his skills and creativity in different ways.

“My interests have been in art and the creative fields since I was super young,” said John. “Drawing, tracing, sketching, painting, sculpting – all of that stuff since I was a kid,” continued John. Speaking of being a kid, in this new video episode of Inside Inventionland, John takes us from his designer duties to his dad duties as he talks with us about his young daughter. From dad to designer!

Ask him why he wanted to be an industrial designer or designer in general and John will tell you a very interesting story. “I didn’t!” John said. We’ll let John explain in his Inside Inventionland video! Watch now below!

As you’ve learned from John, Inventionland’s unique environment has a lot to offer. “I like Inventionland because of the freedom that it affords. I like Inventionland because of the resources that it offers me. I can come here whenever I need to and get whatever I want done,” said John.

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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This week on Univision network, the #1 Spanish language network in the United States, morning show Despierta America gave viewers an inside look at some of the coolest office spaces in the world! At Inventionland, we were excited to welcome reporter Luis Sandoval as he made the journey to visit us at Inventionland in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following visits to Google and Facebook headquarters in Mountain View, California!

The morning show, some might say comparable to The Today Show or Good Morning America that many of us are familiar with, airs from 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EST Monday through Friday, featuring news and entertainment stories.

On Wednesday, Luis ventured to Google headquarters where fun facilities are aimed at “creating a creative and collaborative environment in which fresh ideas can be born,” according to the report.

On Thursday, Luis gave audiences an inside look at Facebook headquarters, where “state-of-the-art facilities include an exercise park, business premises, souvenir shops and free restaurants for employees,” per the report.

We loved getting a glimpse of both the Google and Facebook headquarters as it’s always great to see and relate to other innovative companies who also appreciate the value in fostering a creative work environment.

We may be biased in this opinion, but we’d like to believe reporter Luis Sandoval saved the best for last as his adventure to some of the coolest offices in the world landed him at Inventionland on today’s Friday airing, in which audiences got to know the facilities of Inventionland, “the most creative factory in the world,” as the report said.

“Conoce las instalaciones de Inventionland, la fábrica más creativa del mundo..”

Additionally, Luis got to chat with Inventionland Executive Director Nathan and Creative Director of Design Tim to learn more about our creative environment, our 4-day work week and more!

Thanks for the visit to our creative space! Check out Inventionland on Despierta America online now!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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Each week, students of all ages walk through the doors of Inventionland to get a peek inside our whimsical invention factory, consisting of running waterfalls and 16 uniquely-themed sets. For many, it’s a truly eye-opening experience. Inspired students often leave with the encouragement that their skills will allow them to one day work in such a creative environment.

While many of our Creationeers have been part of the Inventionland team for over ten years, it’s fun to reflect back on the days when they were just students themselves.

“When I was in high school, I got into engineering. And industrial design, after I learned about what it was, it seemed like it was a real easy fit for me… I was doing a lot of artistic stuff, being able to still use some engineering skills and it just fit perfect,” said Design Manager Curtis who grew up drawing and painting.

Curtis’ skillset would ultimately lead him to Inventionland, which he actually helped to build!

“It’s not like working in your typical office. I think that was kind of the idea…to give us an environment that helps us work better and more efficient and get the job done in the best way we possibly can,” said Curtis.

Get to know the man behind the beard, who just happens to be the captain of one innovative boat, in Curtis’ episode of Inside Inventionland 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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Late last year, founder and CEO Mr. George Davison (“Mr. D”) and a team of Inventionland Creationeers attended an exclusive, invite-only preview party at The Container Store’s brand new Pittsburgh location. Finding many Inventionland-designed and packaged products on their store shelves was exciting, but this New Year brings more great news. #ContainYourself because we have something pretty cool to share!

Thanks to a partnership with Jokari – a company that aims to “Make Life Better” with kitchen gadgets, storage and organization solutions, and more – our talented Creationeers have worked hard to innovate Jokari’s product line.

That dedication to innovation is what has brought many Jokari products to retail store shelves, including The Container Store. It all starts with an idea! As it turns out, sometimes those new product ideas become a “home run.”

Just this week, Mr. D announced that the Inventionland-designed Pull Up Hanger for Jokari, now selling in private-label packaging as the Chrome Tank Top Hanger by The Container Store, has been very well received! An email came in from Jokari’s buyer from The Container Store to note that this product is “…definitely a home run!”

“I think it’s a great example of taking a product in three different directions and seeing the possibilities,” said Creative Director of Design Tim, noting how the original Pull Up Hanger has been redesigned and packaged under Jokari’s Paula Deen Everyday collection, in addition to the new version at The Container Store.

Graphic Designer Tess originally thought of the concept back in 2010 as she stood in front of her closet. “One of the problems I had was storing my tank tops,” said Tess. “I was looking in my closet and trying to think of easy ways to store them. Then, I had that ‘aha!’ moment – what if they hung vertically, but you could lift them up to view them all? It was me at home thinking ‘I wish I had this!’ It’s a personal concept, something I needed and something I believed in. To see that it’s doing so well is pretty gratifying. It kind of justifies our design, research and product testing,” said Tess.

It may have been a while in the making, but sometimes these product development struggles make the best stories. “I love telling the story of how things might sit for ten years before they do anything,” said Tim. “If you believe in your idea and you keep nagging the right people, eventually it’s going to be a great seller as we’ve seen in this example with The Container Store,” said Tim.

Congratulations to Tess and the team for believing in an idea and seeing it through the years! Check out Tess’s Chrome Tank Top Hanger at The Container Store here!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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Each and every day, talented Creationeers arrive bright and early to our 61,000 square foot creative facility to do exactly that – get creative! From prototyping, to metalworking, to woodworking, industrial and graphic design and more, each Creationeer is prepared to put their skills to work.

As to be expected, however, even the most creative minds experience burnout. So, how do these Creationeers do it day after day? Here are just a few tips for staying creatively inspired.

Immerse yourself in a creative environment.

Visitors are often amazed and awe-inspired by the whimsical environment at Inventionland. From Pirate Ship Discovery to Inventalot Castle and more, the uniquely designed sets within our space have brought Inventionland to the forefront as one of the most creative office spaces in the world.

It’s important to note, however, that the unique environment here is not just for show. According to a dedication plaque you can find on our treehouse, “Inventionland is a gift that is designed to encourage your creative spirit so you can lead us into the next area of discovery.”

Inventionland is designed to spark innovation and creativity for each and every person that comes to work in our space. While most companies don’t have a themed environment quite like Inventionland’s, there are things you can do to immerse yourself in your own creative environment. Outfit your office, cube or desk with items that are uniquely you. What things spark your creativity? Surround yourself with elements that ignite creative thought and keep you motivated.

Let your creative brain recharge.

Have you ever worked on a project and felt your brain just simply isn’t working to move the project further? It’s certainly true that sometimes you just have to put down a project and come back to it once your brain recharges.

“Each week, we brainstorm with our designers and sometimes the brain just gets stuck or doesn’t seem to work properly anymore.  You have to put things on hold and come back to them with fresh thoughts.  Most of the time when you look at something, the second time around it is easier to figure out,” said Creative Director of Design Curtis.

Creative Director of Design Tim agrees. “Sometimes, you just have to go home and come back the next day having to redo what you’ve already done,” he said.

Let your creativity bring you a sense of accomplishment.

Founder and CEO Mr. George Davison can attest to the sense of accomplishment that channeling your inner creativity can bring.

“The truth is that both men and women get inspired by the release of the creative imagination within them. When you are creating something, you are usually completely absorbed in doing so, and the process allows us to form ideas into a structure that gives a sense of accomplishment,” said Mr. Davison.

Here’s to keeping creatively inspired!

Copyright Inventionland, 2017

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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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From Creationeers who are in charge of keeping projects on schedule to Creationeers that bring ideas to life through rapid prototyping and 3D printing, every day and every job is a bit different here at Inventionland.

Back in January, we teased the release of our brand-new video series, Inside Inventionland that would give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a day-in-the-life of one of our Creationeers in each episode.

In our series we’ve shown you what our Creationeers love to do in their spare time and what they do at work, of course!

In preparation of our newest video, we wanted to pause and enjoy an Inside Inventionland Rewind, then take a trip down memory lane and take a look at some of our favorite quotes from our Creationeers.

In our first episode, we rolled out the red carpet for Creationeer Sharon! In her episode, viewers were given an all-access pass inside of our invention factory and learned why Sharon sometimes refers to herself as “off-the-wall!”

The next episode was POP-ping with excitement. Jason was front-and-center of this episode as he discussed his role in shipping items from our creative space.

When talking about Inventionland, Jason said that “It feels like my home away from home…”

For Creationeer Trevor, coming to Inventionland every day means more than just another day at the office; it’s really a chance for him to explore his creativity and imagination and for that he said, “…it’s a lot of fun to see what you come up with…”

In episode four, things seamed to be picking up. Viewers gained some inspiration from Creationeer Bev, who works day in and day out sewing, stitching, patching and creating anything “cut and sew”. In her episode, Bev was matter-of-fact in saying, “Put me in a room; let me sew; and, I’ll be happy.”

Shannon uses her creativity every day in her projects ranging from product design to packaging design to put her best foot forward and to use her skills to create finished products that she’s proud of.

 “I’m really athletic or spasmodic…That’s a really bad way of saying it, isn’t it?” she joked.

Rapid prototyping and 3D printing were at the forefront of this episode of Inside Inventionland. Greg is fascinated by how things work. He tinkers; he plays; and, he rolls up his sleeves to follow his passion.

“You’re free to be you here,” he said about the creative atmosphere at Inventionland.

Emily is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but she proudly proclaimed, “I love Pittsburgh way better!”

As a Creationeer with a primary focus on rapid prototyping, Emily has the chance to work with 3D printers to turn ideas into tangible reality.

Our latest episode featured Creationeer Megan, who makes sure that Inventionland design projects run smoothly from start-to-finish.

“I’m the person that makes it go from step-to-step for each project…” she said.

There’s a lot more where this came from! Stay tuned in the coming weeks to the Inventionland blog or subscribe to the YouTube channel today and never miss an episode!

We hope you enjoyed this Inside Inventionland Rewind!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

The post Inside Inventionland Rewind appeared first on Inventionland.

Just two weeks ago, a team of Inventionland Creationeers were hustling and bustling to prepare trade show assets, including a new backlit sign with interchangeable graphics, for our friends at Jokari/US, Inc. who had to be prepped and ready for the Total Home & Gift Market at the Dallas Market Center, held June 22^nd-28^th.

Within this tremendous market event – which showcased everything from housewares to textiles to serveware and more – was the Dallas Gourmet Market, where the backlit sign craftily put together by our skilled Creationeers shined brightly to lead market attendees towards the Jokari booth.  There, for the first time in the company’s 40-year history, they showcased and took orders for a new collection of gourmet consumables, personally authenticated by Paula Deen!

The sign was designed to hold graphics designed with both the Jokari and Paula Deen logos. And, as we saw in a previous blog, the sign itself was a product of a lot of teamwork, skill, various material and processes. From graphic design to woodworking to electronics, the sign moved through various shops and hands until completion.

So, for all of the effort to get the project done under a tight deadline, what did Jokari think of the sign?

“The sign worked out really well!” said Jokari CEO Don Saller, who said he was very appreciative of the Inventionland Creationeers’ hard work to prepare the sign, as well as products and packaging for the market.

Paula Deen’s presence at the Jokari booth may have had quite a bit to do with the large amount of foot traffic Jokari received during Friday at the market, but we’d like to think our creative backlit sign helped to lead the way!

Until another trade show, keep updated with the Inventionland blog and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see what’s happening around our invention factory!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

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In a recent HomeWorld Business article, our friends at Jokari/US, Inc. announced teaming up with Inventionland to help fuel their kitchenware growth.

“Our reignited partnership with Inventionland opens the door to new innovation in order to grab the consumer’s attention with creativity and recognition,” said Jokari CEO Don Saller.

It’s something that happens almost naturally here at Inventionland every day, with skilled Creationeers tackling everything from graphic design, industrial design, 3D printing, electrical engineering, and much more.

So when it came time to jumpstart the ideation process for soda and beverage items thanks to Jokari’s new license with PepsiCo North America, one of the first steps was to let one Creationeer work his design magic to create beautiful concept sketches for both Pepsi and Mountain Dew-branded items.

Today, we’re sharing some of the amazing work that Dan, one of Inventionland’s best sketch artists, doodled his way through!

As Dan said in another blog on brainstorming as it relates to doodling:

“It’s weird trying to explain how it works. It’s just natural. I draw what I see in my head and it just starts to flow out. Start with a thought and end up with an actual ‘thing’.”

And now all of those concepts originally doodled are “actual things.” From concept sketches through to prototyping, factory samples, and now actual product in packaging, Jokari now has new collections of soda and beverage products in Pepsi modern, Pepsi heritage and Mountain Dew styles.

Keep on doodling!

Copyright Inventionland, 2016

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