Drumroll, please! In our 20th year, Artisan E-Learning has become Artisan Learning! While stalwart brands occasionally make minor adjustments to refresh logos or taglines, full re-brandings are weighty, strategic undertakings.
Far more than a name change (technically only affecting one letter and a hyphen!), this transition represents a fundamental repositioning and expansion of Artisan’s identity, client relationships, and impact in the learning industry and beyond. It also represents a strengthening of all that we are already doing.
Our core focus is helping people know what to do through custom-designed learning.
E-learning is certainly integral to that commitment. As our client base has expanded, so has the range of ways we can customize training solutions for their widely varied needs. In addition to e-learning, we’ve increasingly been building dynamic instructor-led courses, video-based training, cohort learning experiences, and hybrid solutions. And, of course, offering maintenance and translation services for all of that. While the “E” in our original name is still accurate, it’s limiting, and it no longer represents all the ways we’re helping people know what to do through custom-designed learning.
It was important that in updating our name, we also reimagined our entire brand. “Our logo and related imagery needed to communicate our curious, brave, and imaginative personality, and also reflect our long-standing commitment to accessibility” says Artisan Learning President, Amy Morrisey. She adds, “While logos don’t have to meet WCAG standards, we wanted ours to!” New England advertising agency HMC led Artisan through the comprehensive rebranding process including messaging, imagery, and logo development.
The combination of a new name, a new brand, and a commitment to full accessibility are all behind the unveiling of an all-new, built-from-scratch website.
ArtisanLearning.com was built to be accessible from the ground up, ensuring equal access, and modeling Artisan’s practice of building all learning products to be accessible for all learners. Artisan leadership turned to Bytes.co, a Vermont-based company specializing in WCAG-compliant websites, to design and build the new site. The dynamic new ArtisanLearning.com showcases not just our services and resources, but also what it’s like to work with Artisan Learning as a client, an employee, or a contractor.
Artisan co-founder, Diane Elkins, fully supported the name change and corresponding branding update. She was thrilled when she first saw the new website, noting, “When I go through the site, I see us! These are the words we say to each other. It demonstrates to the world who we truly are.” It’s hard to have a favorite part but she says, “I love the page where it lists all the things we’ve helped people learn how to do.” It’s an impressive list.
The growing Artisan Learning team is a manifestation of the new brand.
Our curious, brave, and imaginative personalities have always driven us to build highly customized solutions for our client partners. Vice President for Production, Stephen Dyer, points out, “Our clients have routinely collaborated with our top-notch instructional designers, developers, and project managers. In becoming Artisan Learning we’ve expanded our production department to include equally talented video professionals, designers, and other specialists.” He adds, “Our project teams are fully engaged in creating award-winning learning experiences, and are poised to build even more world-class solutions for our clients.”
Becoming Artisan Learning has been a top priority for the Artisan leadership team. Reflecting on the nearly two-year process, Morrisey says, “We went into the rebranding process with no holds barred. Everything was on the table, including the word Artisan. With input from branding professionals, we decided the value the Artisan name has held in the industry for 20 years was worth keeping. And it describes the kind of work we do. Artisans create high quality, custom-designed work. We are Artisans.”
