Helping Denver Suck Less: Jim Hargreaves

Denver designer Jim Hargreaves was the guinea pig for our new Egotist Counsel idea—in which thirteen of the most respected, most reliable creative individuals in Colorado are given the opportunity to honestly judge his book behind The Egotist veil and vote Yay or Nay on whether to add him to our list of Recommended Talent. After little debate, he’s in.

All of our Counsel members agree he has one of the best recent grad portfolios they’ve seen, with solid, well-thought-out typography, color and layout sensibilities. One Counsel member said, “He appears to have made a mountain out of a molehill in a good amount of his portfolio pieces. That’s something I typically look for in a designer’s portfolio, because it’s easy to make a BMW ad look nice.”

Jim’s not just tied to one style. However, a handful of Counsel members did wonder if he has work outside what’s being shown in his current portfolio that’s more off-the-wall, demonstrating that he can branch out—and adding some juxtaposition to his clean, Swiss design. Others wondered about his lack of interactive experience, but Jim has let us know print and branding are his specialties.

Those who have met Jim Hargreaves say he comes off very modest and cool, yet is confident and capable and an all-around nice guy. They were also impressed by his rationale and thinking, beyond his physical design work.

From those who have actually worked with Jim, we heard he can have a less-than-enthusiastic attitude about taking on production work (especially for someone at a junior level). Take that how you will, but we take it as Jim being a man who knows what he wants and has high expectations of his career. Ah, to be young again.

The highest creative heads in Colorado said they’d give Jim an interview or hire him for the right gig that fits his style. Maybe, you should too? Jim Hargreaves works full-time at Barnhart as a designer but takes on freelance projects when they mesh with his workload there. Find him on our list Recommended Talent.