Eddie Opara - Expressive Responsibility

is a multi-faceted designer whose work seamlessly integrates strategy, design, and technology. A partner at the New York office of Pentagram since 2010, Opara’s projects span brand identity, publications, packaging, environments, exhibitions, interactive installations, websites, user interfaces, and software — often crossing multiple media within a single commission. His clients include the Mellon Foundation, SFMOMA, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Grace Farms, lululemon athletica, Samsung, and Nubank, among many others.

Opara’s work is known for its clarity, innovation, and cultural resonance. He has received numerous honors, including a Gold Cube from the Art Directors Club and recognition from D&AD, the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD), the Type Directors Club, and AIGA. His projects are held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and have been featured in Wired, Fast Company, Creative Review, and Graphis. He was named one of Fast Company​’s 100 Most Creative People in Business (2012, 2014), and has been recognized by Ebony magazine and Adweek for his creative leadership.

In addition to his design practice, Opara is deeply engaged in education and thought leadership. He is a senior critic at the Yale University School of Art and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia University’s School of Architecture, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is a member of the prestigious Alliance Graphique Internationale, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art, and the author of Color Works (2014, Rockport).

Opara studied graphic design at the London College of Printing and received his MFA from Yale University in 1997. He began his career at ATG and Imaginary Forces, then worked as a senior designer and art director at 2×4 before founding his own studio, The Map Office, in 2005.

With support from AIGA Detroit.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan.

Series presenting partners: Detroit PBS, ALL ARTS, and PBS Books. Media partner: Michigan Public.

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