Jon Owen founded the Nomad wheelchair brand to challenge established notions in the disability product industry. Nomad focused on design-led innovation and marketing to differentiate itself from other brands. It received numerous accolades and awards for its products and marketing campaigns. Jon oversaw all aspects of brand development, from photography and advertisements to marketing materials, website, and launch events, establishing Nomad as a respected international brand through a clear and consistent vision.

1. Nomad - Creating a Brand and Changing the Rules
Jon Owen : 07852 598 528 : jon@nomadwheelchairs.com

2. Accolades and Recognition
• Shortlist for CIM Marketing awards, 2009
• Winners DME Award, 2009
• Shortlist, Product Design, Cardiff Design Festival
• Featured in Wired Magazine, June 2010
• Cited in The Chair, by Dr. Anne Massey, Professor of Design History at
Kingston University, London
• Nominee for Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Award, 2011
• Product exhibited at Design Museum, London, 2011
• Product featured in Sir Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, 2012 (opposite)
• Design Council chose Nomad as a design icon that has helped to make
the UK a leading design nation, 2012

3. Introduction
Following a traffic accident, my brother Mark was left paraplegic. His
introduction to life as a paraplegic left him frustrated, especially when he was
buying products specific to his condition. We didn’t think this was fair.
Based on keen insights driven by solid research, I began to build a brand that
challenged established industry notions – a lifestyle brand that was both warm
and cool; engaging, yet fiercely independent; and aspirational while
approachable.
Before Nomad, disability-based products were sold to patients, rather than
people. The tone and language used in this market was cold, condescending
and very much outdated. The marketplace does however sell medical products,
so requires a high element of trust and authority from its brands. A major
obstacle to overcome was how to make a start-up company credible in a market
place dominated by large, well-trusted names. We chose design as our driver.
In under a year, Nomad became a respected and credible international brand.
A clear marketing strategy from the outset allowed Nomad to define a niche for
itself, differentiating it in a crowded and competitive market.
Nomad Mrk1 (Wired Magazine)

4. Nomad Brand – Making Our Mark
The name Nomad was chosen internally as it represented values of
freedom and movement. A Nomad stands against the establishment and is
an individual, a free-thinker.
Soft phonetics are welcoming and the word, when used in lower case is
rounded, friendly and approachable.
I constructed a compelling story for the brand, centred around my
inspirational brother, Mark. Here was a man who would not give up after a
life-changing accident, but instead rose again to co-found Nomad. Nomad’s
brand values were developed to reinforce this story.
The Nomad journey had started. I now had to roll out our concept across all
touch points.

5. Product Photography and Advertisements
The adverts were industry leading at the time and gave Nomad a genuine
competitive advantage over other brands.
As a challenger brand, the quality of our marketing allowed to disrupt while
retaining the impression of professionalism and authority.
The key stages in the development of our adverts were:
• Establish brand value consistency and identity for advert concepts
(differentiate through design; place as aspirational, technical, cool).
• Refine and select final creative direction.
• Interview photographers and convey Nomad values.
• Arrange and co-direct the shoot.
• Manage project costs, times and deliverables.
The result helped Nomad to become winner of the Design Management
Europe Award – against pan-European companies from all sectors (past
winners include Virgin Atlantic).

6. Communicating Our Passion
Nomad’s marketing materials were developed to be another source of
differentiation.
Through superior design values, visually appealing and highly tactile
materials were developed . Once again, this was unheard of in the mobility
market at the time.
This coherent, consistent approach to marketing collateral reinforced the
perception of Nomad as a design-led brand.
Nomad obtained a shortlist for Welsh Chartered Institute of Marketing
awards (2009) for these materials

7. Website and Digital
I oversaw the design of the website. The mobility market is particularly well
suited to online activity and Nomad developed a fully-inclusive/accessible
website as a lead generation tool that was consistent with its brand values.
As an essential part of a congruent presence, an integrated digital
approach was used from the start, with Nomad being very active on social
media and blogging regularly. Again, this was a new approach for the
marketplace, but is now commonplace.

8. Making a Stand
I was responsible for leading the organisation and logistics of the launch
event (Naidex 2009). This included overseeing the design of the
experiential environment.
Competitor’s spaces all tried to convey too much information, resulting in a
busy, overloading aesthetic.
• A disruptive yet elegant solution was to minimise the visuals
• A strong black background with very little else would attract attention
• Congruent with brand values
• Gain positive market awareness by standing out

9. Life after Nomad: Freelance