Is design spiritual? Pentagram’s Eddie Opara in a What Design Can Do special

Memberful Design is about how firestarters spark lasting initiatives: Eddie Opara is a partner at Pentagram, a senior critic at Yale, an Englishman in New York, a designer that codes, and a valued member of the AGI. At 50, Mr Opara is exactly the same age as Pentagram itself. It’s the largest independent design firm in the world. All of its 23 partners create. And if a partner is not doing so well, it’s equated. That’s why Opara refers to Pentagram as a dysfunctional, but wonderful family.

On the eve of Opara's departure to the US, his father said to him "Design is spiritual. It's a way of life." He chewed on that phrase for 26 years. Listen to the show to to get a better understanding of what his father meant and how it can inspire your own endeavours. 

This episode came together in partnership with the friendly folks at What Design Can Do. For over a decade, this resilient group has empowered the global creative community. Check out the WDCD hubs around the world (Amsterdam, São Paulo, Nairobi, Tokyo, Delhi, Mexico City) or join them online at whatdesigncando.com

And we want to hear from you too! We’re researching what makes communities, memberships, and movements so powerful. Or in short, how to better design for belonging. You can help by sharing your own experiences in our first listener survey. 

Go to memberful.design/community to complete the survey. It only takes a minute to share your wisdom and it’s completely anonymous. We’ll share takeaways on a future show. So keep listening and let’s learn together. 

This show was formerly known as Verwondering, the leading design podcast of the Netherlands. Now, we’re bringing this award-winning series to the international stage in English. 

Memberful Design is crafted with love by the team behind the design studio Momkai. At Momkai, we've learned that building experiences that empower communities create durable initiatives. Over the past 20 years, we've put this knowledge into practice on projects from all over Europe, the US, and Japan. Are you looking for a fresh perspective or want to join the team? Go to momkai.com and get in touch.

Memberful Design is hosted by Harald Dunnink, Momkai’s founder and co-founder of journalism platform De Correspondent. As a creative director, he loves stories. With the birth of his daughter he finally found an audience that’s always demanding more. 

His guests on the show help you think like a designer, decide like an entrepreneur, and dream big like an optimist. Discover what it takes to let your plans succeed and create meaningful connections, through Memberful Design.