Redefining Purpose-Built’s Learning Voice
When I joined the Built From the Ground Up project, most of the training materials were already in place. The videos were recorded, the quizzes written, and the modules outlined. There was a framework and a clear goal for what the program needed to accomplish. But something about it wasn’t connecting. The content was strong, yet the energy around it had started to fade.
Reading Between the Lines: The Importance of Understanding the Material as a Designer or Strategist
At first, the assumption was that the missing piece could be solved through design—stronger visuals, cleaner layouts, and a more polished presentation. That was what I was brought in to do. But after spending time reading through the decks and notes, it became clear there were deeper opportunities for improvement that design alone couldn’t fix.
The training itself had real value. Andrea Franco, who led the operational side, is a professional trainer with years of experience guiding people from foundation to mastery. Her philosophy was already embedded in the structure. You could see it in the flow of each module and the way she layered information. The problem was that her approach was sitting just beneath the surface, overshadowed by an added character meant to make the material feel more “relatable.”
Pinpoint the Area of Friction
The character, Sparky, was created with good intentions. He appeared at the end of sections to summarize key points in a light, conversational tone—offering a small break from dense material. The idea made sense and could work well in other contexts. But when you’re working within an established brand, especially one grounded in authenticity, it’s important to look at every creative choice through the lens of identity, mission, and audience.
Purpose-Built’s brand voice is rooted in straight talk. It’s confident, grounded, and never overcomplicated. On paper, that tone aligns with Sparky’s personality. You could even argue there was potential to develop him into a long-term internal icon. But this is where strategic design requires restraint and foresight.
There can be a case made to keep him or build out this character to appear everywhere and have it become an internal icon. But this is where discernment comes in. As designers and strategists, we have to think beyond whether an idea works right now and consider what happens to it later. Sometimes an idea can fit the brand in the present but fail under the weight of growth, changing teams, or evolving identity. That’s where our role shifts from creative execution to long-term brand stewardship.
“It’s not enough for an idea to sound like the brand. It has to survive change, new hands, and time.”
When I evaluate an idea like this, I always step back and think about scalability and longevity.
Is it evergreen? Will it stand up to growth, change, and turnover?
In Purpose-Built’s case, the company was expanding quickly. The internal creative resources were small, and teams were already multitasking across campaigns, retail events, and seasonal product launches. There wouldn’t be time to define or maintain the creative standards for a persona like Sparky—how to use him, when to feature him, and how to evolve him with the brand. In a year, he would likely fade out or get reinvented with every new designer.
More importantly, these “niche” solves often distract from the real issue. They mask a disconnect in tone or intent rather than addressing it. The Starbucks training example is a good one: their coffee education materials are straightforward and sincere. They take the subject seriously because they want employees to take it seriously too. Purpose-Built needed that same sense of respect for its material.
The Boots series was designed to help employees make informed recommendations about something fundamental to their customers’ safety and comfort. When you’re teaching someone how to recommend the right boot for a lineman, roofer, or electrician, tone matters. The training needed to carry the same pride and professionalism that Purpose-Built shows in its products and customer relationships.
Sparky softened that message. The lessons didn’t need a mascot to make them relatable. They already were, because they were rooted in real life and real work.
What the program needed wasn’t personality. It needed clarity and conviction. It needed to sound like Purpose-Built: confident, capable, and proud of the craft it supports.
Redefining the Voice
Once I identified where the disconnect was, I stopped thinking about the material as “training content” and started thinking about it as brand communication. Internal or external, the voice still needed to represent Purpose-Built.
The company’s mission is centered on supporting tradespeople with gear that works as hard as they do. That same tone needed to live in the training. It had to sound steady, practical, and grounded—never performative or overly casual. The people reading this material weren’t just employees; they were part of the brand’s culture. The tone had to signal respect for their intelligence and the work they do every day.
I revisited Andrea’s original approach to learning—the way she built lessons in layers, connecting small pieces of knowledge to a larger understanding. That framework already reflected the Purpose-Built mindset: build from the ground up. I simply gave it a voice that matched.
The new voice guide was short and clear:
Direct and real. No filler, no forced humor.
Confident, not loud. Speak from experience.
Written for smart people who might be new. Teach without talking down.
Rooted in purpose. Every sentence should connect back to why this knowledge matters on the job.
I wrote a few sample passages from the existing modules in this tone and shared them with the team. The reaction was immediate—everyone recognized the brand in it. The tone felt familiar but elevated. It respected both the trainers creating the material and the employees learning from it.
Once the voice was aligned, everything else started to take shape naturally. The visuals, copy, and physical materials could now share the same heartbeat. And that’s what makes a program cohesive—not matching colors or fonts, but a shared sense of purpose in how it communicates.
Program Purpose Statement
Once the new voice principles were defined, I wrote what became the program’s purpose statement: a short, foundational message that captured why the training existed and how it connected to Purpose-Built’s larger mission.
It was important for this statement to feel internal but still carry the same clarity and pride as external brand language. It served as a compass for tone, reminding anyone writing or designing for the program what it was really about. This piece of language set the emotional foundation for the entire system.
From there, I created a one-page directional that outlined the purpose behind the program, its long-term vision, and the principles that would guide its growth. This became a quick-reference tool for internal teams and stakeholders. It helped ensure that every future module or series—no matter who built it—would still sound, feel, and function like Purpose-Built.
These two pieces worked together as the foundation of the voice system. One set the tone, the other kept it on track. They also served as tangible proof points when presenting the new approach to leadership, showing that the identity wasn’t just visual or verbal, but strategic and scalable.
Building a Scalable Identity System
After defining the voice and the program’s purpose, the next step was making sure it could grow. Training programs often start strong and lose consistency over time. Teams change, priorities shift, and the original intent behind the content fades. My goal was to create a structure that could hold steady as new people joined and new series were developed.
I started by mapping out what elements needed to stay fixed and which could remain flexible. The purpose statement and tone were non-negotiable—they were the anchors. Visual expression and layout could adapt slightly from series to series, as long as they carried the same foundation. That balance allowed creativity without losing recognition.
To make this easier for future contributors, I developed a simple set of working tools:
A voice guide that explained how to write and structure content for different learning levels.
A visual framework that outlined texture, color, and hierarchy in a way that reflected Purpose-Built’s larger brand.
A naming system for each module that created consistency between the current and future series.
These tools didn’t need to be overly designed or rigid. They needed to be usable by anyone, whether they were a designer, a trainer, or someone creating a quick in-store update. The system worked because it was practical.
When designing for scale, I always ask myself a few questions. Can someone new to the company understand it without a long explanation? Does it hold up if the design team changes? Can it be shared in a short meeting and still make sense? If the answer is yes to all three, then it’s built to last.
The same thinking applies to tone. A strong voice should be clear enough to stay recognizable, even when written by different people. You can’t control who will write every piece of copy, but you can give them a foundation that makes it easy to sound on-brand.
That’s what the identity system accomplished. It wasn’t about style. It was about structure. It gave the program a stable center, something that could grow without losing its roots.
The Designer’s Role Beyond the Deliverable
This project reminded me how often design work extends far beyond what people expect. I was brought in to create materials, but what the company really needed was alignment. The visual and written work only mattered once the foundation was clear.
It’s easy in creative roles to jump straight into execution. We’re used to solving the problem that’s right in front of us. But sometimes, the most meaningful contribution a designer or strategist can make is to slow down, look beneath the surface, and identify what’s actually missing.
For Built From the Ground Up, it wasn’t about adding something new. It was about recognizing the value that was already there and giving it structure. It taught me that internal programs need the same level of brand care as external campaigns. They shape how teams think, how they communicate, and how they represent the company’s purpose day to day.
As designers, we often see where words, visuals, and experience fall out of sync. When we take the time to connect those pieces, the work becomes more than a set of assets. It becomes a system that others can build from.
That’s what makes this kind of work so rewarding. It’s design that lasts because it’s built on understanding, not decoration.