British born Nigerian designer, Eddie Opara listed as one of the top 100 most creative people in business 2012 – Fast Company
0British-born Nigerian, Eddie Opara has been rated as one of the top 100 most creative people in business 2012 worldwide. This rating was published this June by Fastcompany, a leading media brand. He sits at the Number 52 spot on the list.
Eddie is one of the Partners at Pentagram, the world’s most prestigious design firm. In 2011, he was named to Ebony magazine’s Power 100 Black American list
About Eddie Opara
Mr. Opara studied graphic design at the London College of Printing and Yale School of Art, where he received his MFA in graphic design in 1997. He began his career as a designer at ATG and Imaginary Forces and worked as an 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. Mr. 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 the Menil Foundation, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Queens Museum of Art, the Mori Art Museum, JWT, Vitra, Prada, St. Regis Hotels, the Corcoran Group, Morgan Stanley, New York University, UCLA, Grimshaw Architects, (ARO) Architecture Research Office, Harry N. Abrams and Princeton Architectural Press. At Map, he developed the MiG, a content management system that allows clients to manage and publish their own content online. Mr. Opara has won numerous awards including a Gold Cube from the Art Directors Club and honors from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and I.D. magazine. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and has appeared in publications such as Archis, Surface, Graphis and I.D. He currently serves on the board of the New York Chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. Mr. Opara teaches narrative design at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Columbia University School of Architecture. He was appointed critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art in 2010.
About Pentagram
Pentagram is the world’s largest independent design consultancy. The firm is owned and run by 19 partners, a group of friends who are all leaders in their individual creative fields. Pentagram does work in graphic design, identity, architecture, interiors and products. They have designed packaging and products for many well known companies, such as Tesco, Boots, 3Com,Swatch, Tiffany & Co, Dell, Netgear, Nike and Timex. They have also developed identities for Citibank, United Airlines, and The Co-operative brand in the UK, winning a silver award from the Design Business Association. In 2007, they updated the visual identity of Saks Fifth Avenue.
In addition to graphic design work, the firm has partners working on architectural projects such as the Harley-Davidson Museum, the Alexander McQueen shops, Citibank interiors, the Adshel andClear Channel buildings in London, a host of private residences including the Phaidon Atlas of Architecture listed Bacon Street Residence, the new London club Matter, along with a host of interior, retail, restaurant and exhibition projects.
The firm recently celebrated its 40th year anniversary.
