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 2x4 before establishing his own studio, The Map Office, in 2005. He joined Pentagram’s New York office as partner in October 2010.

In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Eddie Opara discusses his Jesuit education, being part of a collaborative movement, the difference between original work and open sourced work, accepting a job from Michael Bierut while in the bathroom, creating the Brooklyn Museum brand at 2x4, and working at Pentagram. (03.04.11)

On Design Observer: http://observermedia.designobserver.com/

On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Eddie Opara

Design Matters by Debbie Millman features interviews with designers, artists and cultural leaders, including Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kruger, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Kandel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael Arad, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Steven Heller, Jonah Lehrer, among others.

In 2011, Design Matters received the People’s Design Award from the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards.

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