Commercial Artisan is the Indianapolis-based graphic design studio of brothers James and Jon Sholly. Founded in 1990, the brothers adopted the name Commercial Artisan as an only slightly tongue-in-cheek tribute to the erstwhile notion of the commercial artist. Their work — for foundations, arts institutions, corporations, universities and friends — is rooted in a belief that there is a creative opportunity to be found in every assignment.

Commercial Article is the studio’s offshoot publication that explores design figures from Indiana whose lives and work have been under-documented. Commercial Artisan’s work has appeared in many publications including design journals Emigré and Eye. It has been honored by Communication Arts, Print Magazine, American Center for Design, AIGA, The Mohawk Show, and FPO (Under Consideration), among others.

Their projects have been included in the major museum exhibitions Mixing Messages (Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, 1996) and Graphic Design: Now In Production (Walker Art Center/Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, 2011). Commercial Artisan was the subject of the exhibition ink/paper/staples/glue at Herron School of Art and Design in 2013, and touring 2014-2015.

JAMES SHOLLY
james [at] commercialartisan.com
317 440 2335

JON SHOLLY
jon [at] commercialartisan.com
317 376 2013

COMMERCIAL ARTISAN
5402 Rosslyn Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220

CLIENTS

Alexian Brothers Foundation
Ameriana Bank
American Institute of Architects, Indianapolis
American Pianists Association
Arts Council of Indianapolis
Axis Architecture + Interiors
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre
Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
Building Tomorrow
Business Furniture
C Fibers
C Resouces
Carmel City Center
Carmelites of Indiana
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Choreo
Columbus Indiana Philharmonic
Contemporary Arts Center / Cincinnati
Cummins
Demerly Architects
Design Studio Vriesman
DesignSmith
Earlham College
Early Learning Indiana
Edington Gallery
Eli Lilly & Co. 
 

ESL Spectrum
Equis Consulting
Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation
Form + Function
Franklin College
Friends of Holliday Park
Gateway for Cancer Research
Grand Park
Graphic Artists Guild
Halstead Architects
Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Herron School of Art and Design
Huff Homes
Humane Society of Indianapolis
Indiana Artisan
Indiana Arts Commission
Indiana Design Center
Indiana Historical Society
Indiana Landmarks
Indiana State Archives
The Indiana University Foundation
Indianapolis Art Center
Indianapolis Contemporary
Indianapolis Marion County Public Library Foundation
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Zoo
IUPUI
 

Kids Dance Outreach
Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library
Landstory Landscape Architecture
Luna Music
Marketability
Mary Rigg Community Center
Methodist Health Foundation
North American Textile Conservation Conference
Partners In Housing
Pattern Magazine
Peace Talks
People for Urban Progress
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky
Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Rundell Ernstberger Associates
School of Health & Human Sciences IUPUI
Sigma Theta Tau
Site Strategies, LLC
Sports Innovation Institute
Studio Lauren Zoll
Under Armour
Well Done Marketing
City of Westfield
Walther Cancer Institute
White River Gardens
White River State Park
Zesco Foodservice

RECOGNIZED BY

AIGA
Allworth Press
American Association of Museums
American Center for Design
Arts Council of Indianapolis
Association of University and College Designers
Bitch Magazine
Communications Arts Magazine
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Emigré Magazine
French Paper
Graphic Artists Guild
Indiana Arts Commission
Indianapolis Monthly
Metropolis Magazine
MIT Press
Mohawk Paper
Neenah Paper

Ohio Museums Association
Pattern Magazine
Potlatch Paper Corporation
Print Magazine
ReadyMade Magazine
Society of Typographic Arts
Under Consideration
Walker Art Museum