About

I’m Marcos, I’m a nature lover, dad, humble human, musician, and artist. I’m thoughtful and always ready to learn new ways of doing things. For example, I found I could not objectively write about myself, so I hired someone to write this for me. Really, have you ever tried to write your own bio? It’s basically impossible.

The Meandering Path to Now

Being a designer is pretty central to my identity these days, but I didn’t set out to become a designer. I thought I’d be a journalist—one of those foreign correspondents chasing stories in war zones with a camera slung over my shoulder. I imagined myself documenting the world through words and images, a la Ernest Hemingway or Hunter S. Thompson.

Indeed, in my wandering early years after J-school (and after losing my mind at the copy desk), I headed back to my native Panama with the idea to launch an English-language weekly. As many inaugural entrepreneurial efforts prove to be, this venture was short lived. I ran out of money after exactly one issue.

But I didn’t walk away from that experience empty-handed. Laying out that newspaper issue was enough to awaken my lifelong love of typography. It was also just enough to get me into a print production job back in The States.

I learned design along the way, picking up every skill I could from seasoned art directors. I would go on to work as a designer in ad agencies, PR firms, and boutique studios over the next decade. It turned out I was a much better designer than journalist; I was honored to work on some massive state-wide and national campaigns and even win a few design awards for that work.

As I honed my style, I began to deeply enjoy working on side projects of my own choosing, many of which were album covers for my musician friends. The founder of Compadre Records saw my work on an artist’s CD cover at SXSW, and that was a turning point. Not long after, I left my day job, and Harkness Design was born.

Twenty years later, I still love to design album covers. My work also includes design for academic institutions, startups and other businesses, festivals, and arts organizations.

Beyond the Studio

I live in West Asheville, NC with my daughter, my partner, and our dog. On weekends and summer evenings, you can find me hanging out with my fam, kayaking, trail running, or playing music.

Memberships, Honors, and Awards

• Member, American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
• Founding board member, AIGA Asheville chapter
• Presenter, Pecha Kucha Asheville
• Panelist, Americana Association
• Work featured, Print Magazine
• Work featured, Communication Arts
• AIGA Raleigh
• The Ad Club of the Triangle
• Printing Industry of the Carolinas