Eddie Opara was born in Wandsworth, London in 1972. He studied graphic design at the London College of Printing and Yale University, where he received his MFA in 1997. He began his career as a designer at ATG and Imaginary Forces and worked as a senior designer/art director at 2×4 before establishing his own studio, The Map Office, in 2005. He joined Pentagram’s New York office as partner in 2010.
Opara is a multi-faceted designer whose work encompasses strategy, design and technology. His projects have included the design of brand identity, publications, packaging, environments, exhibitions, interactive installations, websites, user interfaces and software, with many of his projects ranging across multiple media.
His clients have included Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Grace Farms, the Menil Foundation, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Queens Museum, Santander, St. Regis Hotels, the Corcoran Group, Morgan Stanley, New York University, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Grimshaw Architects, (ARO) Architecture Research Office, Harry N. Abrams and Princeton Architectural Press.
Opara has won numerous awards including a Gold Cube from the Art Directors Club and honors from D&AD, the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD), Type Directors Club, Tokyo Type Directors Club, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Communication Arts. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and has appeared in publications such as Wired, Fast Company, Creative Review, Archis, Surface and Graphis.
Opara is a senior critic at the Yale University School of Art. He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Columbia University School of Architecture and the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. He is a member of the distinguished design society, Alliance Graphique Internationale. Opara recently authored a book, Color Works, published by Rockport. He was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2012 and 2014, and was featured in Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 and Adweek’s Creative 100.
Projects
- Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modern ArtCatalogue design for an exhibition at the Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. A true power couple and two of the 20th century's most celebrated artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera helped develop Mexican modernism, a movement that combined social realism and surrealistic imagery in paintings and murals that shaped Mexico's cultural heritage. Over fifty years after their deaths, the pair continue to fascinate. Pentagram has designed the catalogue for Frida Kahlo and Diego
Projects credited in
- Championing Diversity: This Black History Month 2018, meet 100 creatives inspiring changeThis Black History Month 2018, we’ve brought together a group of outstanding industry heroes to each nominate 10 black changemakers and creators that are shaping culture, arts, design, business, tech and beyond. We still have a way to go when it comes to conquering the lack of diversity in the creative industry - which is why it so important for us, as a platform, to use our force for good. To do so, throughout the year we spotlight incredible people, the projects that they are involved with141
Work history
PartnerPentagram
New York, United StatesFull Time
Y
Y
Senior CriticYale University Careers
United StatesFull Time
Skills
- Design
- Innovation
- Graphic Design
- Brand Identity
- Installation Art