The John R. Oishei Foundation
A industry leader with an animated legacy.
Integral to Buffalo’s foundation.
When you think of The John R. Oishei Foundation, you should think of the roots of Buffalo.
Granting their biggest donation ever of its kind, Buffalo’s Children’s Hospital would now be named The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital after the man who started this foundation of change. So, who was John R. Oishei? The Foundation asked us to answer this question and share his legacy in the blank space of Buffalo’s newest medical marvel.
The installation of inspiration.
Granted a prominent space in the new lobby, the Foundation asked 19 Ideas to develop a concept for an interactive installation that was both worthy of the hospital’s new platform and also telling of their namesake’s intense generosity in the community.
Putting our minds together and our ideas to work, we created the blueprint for a dynamic, dimensional experience – for visitors of all ages and circumstances.
To the wall.
We started with simple sketches of the wall’s space, adding strong elements of technology, interactivity, and collaboration. We knew that this community-facing project should also encompass the tenets of our community values. With a large touchscreen acting as the hero of the space, we incorporated Bak USA smart boards loaded with Fisher-Price apps into our concept to appeal to audiences of all ages.
On board.
Diving into the history books, we learned about John R. Oishei, his life’s beginnings, his major milestones, and all of his contributions to both humble gifts and economic growth through Trico Products. Known as the force behind the perfecting of the windshield wiper blade, he brought a fusion of growth and pride to Buffalo, NY. These sentiments permeate our community today through the actions of The John R. Oishei Foundation.
From pencil to play.
Using Oishei’s legacy and story as our inspiration, we created colorful, engaging ways to bring the content to life through our interactive screen. From idea to sketch, to color to movement, we created individual, animated scenes that let users live through some of Oshei’s — and his respective Foundation’s — highlights.
The perfect touch.
Our Development Team got to work creating an app using Electron and Vue JS to craft a fluid user experience for each of the hospital’s visitors. Using Ubuntu to operate the system, we found a way to run this application with more features than what Windows could typically offer. From there, we pulled external content in through WordPress so that our teams could easily create and update posts without building them into the new app. All of this content is beautifully presented on a top-of-the-line 85″ Avocor touchscreen.
What we achieved was an easily operated platform on which users could interact with the story of John R. Oishei, the Foundation, and the new hospital.
Building together.
Using the colorful illustrations as our guide, we used the bright, welcoming backdrop to highlight our timeline of John R. Oishei. Working with architects, the hospital’s facilities management, equipment vendors, electricians, sign vendors, TV vendors, local businesses like Bak USA and Fisher-Price, and the Foundation, we were able to create an installation for all to touch, explore and learn from while they waited in the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.
You are here.
The new Oishei Children’s Hospital represents Buffalo’s growth and hope – in the brightest of ways. Built to help heal mothers and children alike, it will be home to some of medicine’s most important miracles, and 19 Ideas is so proud to have been a part of telling that story. While our pride in this project speaks volumes, the joy that it brought to the JRO Foundation has helped this to become one of our loudest achievements, too.
Located at the entrance of the new hospital, we invite you to see, touch, and learn about John R. Oishei: the man who built a company and continues to help build our Buffalo.
