Eddie Opara: Insights Lecture Series
Eddie Opara was this week’s speaker at AIGA Minnesota and Walker Art Center’s Insights Lecture Series. Eddie is a designer with a very interesting background which influences his way of thinking and way of working. British-born Eddie was introduced to the Labor Party at a young age and has always thought things should be shared. There are two big themes I gleaned from his talk:
- Collaboration
- Transformation
Eddie believes that nobody really owns anything. We all just share everything. This is a really interesting thought that I had never applied to design before. When we come into this world, we have nothing. And when we leave the earth, we can take nothing with us. Therefore, we really don’t OWN anything.
Collaborating comes easily to Eddie. Many designers hold on to control over their projects and wouldn’t want to pass a half finished project to another designer. It’s a trust issue. Eddie feels the opposite. He thrives on collaborating with others. At his agency Map, everybody does everything. Eddie is excited about how another designer might interpret his original idea.
While working on the Prada account at 2×4 Studio, Eddie had to leave on vacation. He had started the project but was unable to complete it. So he passed off his work to another designer he worked with—trusting that the designer would further his original idea. The completed work was stunning.
Eddie did some branding work for Brooklyn Museum while working at 2×4 Studio. He wanted the logo to be transformative over time. He created a letter B shape outline which is always surrounded by a solid colored graphic. The B shape always stays the same, but the surrounding graphic is able to transform and change (see image below). The result is a really interesting and strong brand for the Museum. Check out the Brooklyn Museum’s website to see the logo in action by clicking here.
Eddie also introduced the audience to his new content management system, the MiG. This CMS is easy on the eyes AND easy to use. To learn more about the MiG, click here.
Eddie summarized his lecture by saying, “Always changing, never staying the same, always getting better.”
If you missed Eddie’s lecture at the Walker, watch it online on the Walker Channel.
March 23rd, 2010 at 3:35 am
Dear Lisa,
Thank you for coming to the lecture at the Walker and posting this content about me on your blog.
But, I would like too make sure the post is correct.
As I had stated at the Walker lecture, in first part of my talk that I worked for companies such as Imaginary Forces and 2×4, and I showed work to that effect. The two pieces I presented that I worked on at 2×4 were Prada and the Brooklyn. 2×4 should be credited for these pieces on your blog as I stated in the lecture. If you recall one of the reasons why the Brooklyn Museum marks were shown was to show the relationship between Brooklyn Museum logomarks and the UCLA AUD marks that were designed at The Map Office. Presenting the possibility that today a brand logo could be in total flux. That there are multiple ways to perceive it and to interpret it, that the form is ever changing.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:18 am
Eddie: Thank you posting corrections. I added credit for 2×4 Studio into the post. Thank you, again, for traveling to Minnesota to share your experiences and fabulous work!