Sound Arge
Ian Hargest, better known as "Arge", is an award-winning sound designer and mixer with more than 30 years of experience crafting sound for some of the world's biggest and most iconic brands.
Throughout his career, Arge has collaborated with leading advertising agencies, acclaimed directors, and major broadcasters, earning a reputation for perfectionism, creativity, and meticulous attention to detail, whilst building a loyal client base along the way.
From high-end commercials and cinematic film and TV trailers to channel branding and immersive audio experiences, he is known for delivering exceptional work under pressure and to the highest standards, no matter how tight the deadline.
Working across television, radio, cinema, Dolby Atmos, and immersive formats, he brings a combination of creative vision and technical expertise to every project.
Over the course of his career his work has earned him a string of prestigious sound design awards, including many D&AD Pencils, British Arrows, Creative Circle, Kinsale Sharks, Promax and Music+Sound Awards, alongside recognition from BAFTA and the Royal Television Society.
Arge began his career at Triangle TV, spending a decade as a Sound Engineer working extensively with Saatchi & Saatchi on major campaigns including Castlemaine XXXX, Carlsberg, Toyota, VISA, Lloyds Bank, and British Airways' iconic 'World's Favourite Airline' campaign. As well as picking up high-profile D&AD wins for NSPCC and Monster.com, and earning a Sound D&AD alongside director Chris Cunningham for the launch of Xfm.
During this time, he also composed music for the production company of iconic War of the Worlds composer Jeff Wayne, creating original compositions on campaigns for Sony, the Financial Times, Pepsi Cola, and Nestlé.
At Blue Post Production, he continued crafting sound across advertising and broadcast, expanding his client base, working on major ad campaigns for Vodafone and Lexus, and high-profile projects for Channel 4 and the BBC, including what he still considers one of his best days in the studio: recording a Dalek.
As a founding employee of Envy Post Production, Arge broadened his portfolio further, working on campaigns for Littlewoods, Smirnoff, adidas, and IKEA. He received critical acclaim for mixing the D&AD and Cannes Lions-winning Puma HardChorus campaign for Droga5.
Alongside this, he developed cinematic film trailers for landmark productions including Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Doctor Who.
He also delivered major channel branding for Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema, Film4, Channel 4, and the BBC.
It was during this time that Arge put his immersive sound expertise to excellent use on the launch of Sky's flagship TV, Sky Glass, creating Dolby Atmos mixes to showcase the TV's immersive sound system, designing the sound for the launch event's experiential rooms, and producing a Sky Glass Dolby Atmos experience on the Sky Campus.
He later became Creative Director of Sound at Absolute Post, where he continued shaping award-winning audio and enhancing his client base — becoming the go-to for Sky's high-profile campaigns, a trusted name for brands including Lego and Apple, and the defining voice behind Go Compare. He also picked up even more prestigious sound design awards on campaigns including JBL, DAZN, Formula 1, Sky Q, NOW TV, and E4.
One of his most satisfying recent projects saw Arge working on a major Premier League commercial campaign, creating an ambitious massed choir effect featuring 80,000 voices, recorded across several locations, including a football stadium and Abbey Road Studios. The campaign was a huge success in 2024, and he was invited back to recreate and expand the concept in 2025.
Much of his success stems from working closely with clients to bring their ideas to life, whilst always contributing creative thinking of his own, a philosophy that has defined his career from the very beginning.
And, as Arge is always keen to point out, it all began with five invaluable years in Hospital Radio.
