ABOUT
Commercial Artisan is the graphic design studio of brothers James and Jon Sholly.
James and his wife Laura Lacy-Sholly founded the studio, originally called Antenna, in 1990. Just a few years out of the Herron School of Art, and armed with the belief that there was no excuse (geographic, budgetary or otherwise) for poor design, the pair went about building their fledgling cottage industry. The number one rule was to work only with nice people. In the period of a few years, the client roster grew from local and like-minded allies to include notable museums and major corporations. Recognition from organizations including the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the American Center for Design soon followed. Antenna's work was featured in Emigre magazine, The Graphic Edge, the Typography Now series and other notable publications of the time. Antenna appeared as visiting artist in the design programs of the Art Institute of Chicago, North Carolina State University and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, among others. In 1996, Antenna was featured in Mixing Messages, the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s survey of graphic design in contemporary culture.
In 1999 Laura became seriously ill and quietly passed away after only a few declining months. Devastated, but determined to maintain the ideals of the original studio concept, James moved forward assuming sole proprietorship of the business. Over the period of the next four years, a new normal was gradually established and an interest in book and publication design was renewed.
As he progressed through his years in Herron's Visual Communications program, Jon joined the studio when his schedule permitted, and upon his graduation in 2003, assumed a full-time position. This new beginning was the impetus for the change in name to the only partially tongue-in-cheek 'Commercial Artisan.'
The years following were lively and productive. The new collaboration flourished with old and new clients. Commercial Artisan projects were recognized by the AIGA and the respected international design magazines Communication Arts and Print. The studio explored client-free design by mounting the exhibit Fortune Cookies, a collection of prints that explored the meaning and wisdom of portentous messages found in baked goods. Commercial Article, an irregularly-published journal documenting little-known figures in Indiana graphic design, became a fascinating distraction. The first issue, a tribute to Laura's parents, Jackie and Gene Lacy, was honored with the Award of Excellence in the AIGA's 2007 Origination Design competition. In 2009 the Arts Council of Indianapolis awarded James a Creative Renewal Fellowship
James and Jon remain committed to the simple goal of creating interesting and functional design (and, of course, working with nice people).
© 2012 Commercial Artisan