Owen Thomas is a designer who helps organisations untangle problems and find their way through them.
Ecosia
Helping a search engine navigate growth, AI and identity
V&A Museum
Rethinking digital for the museum of art and design
Friends of the Earth
Finding a new voice for a trusted NGO
OVO Energy
Empowering people to make the most of their energy
Hackaball
Taking a programmable toy from beta to market
Coming soon: Google iOS
Connecting an internet giant to the next generation
Whatever the project, the goal remains the same: do work that’s authentic, helpful and good.
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From ambiguity to action
Whether it’s breaking down silos to get people talking, transforming bad user experiences into business success stories or helping seasoned brands engage with mobile youth, I approach every challenge constructively and help organisations move forward.
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From brand to product
Having honed my craft in various agencies and over a decade in technology, I know how brands gets baked into products and how products shape brands on a practical level. This comes in pretty handy when your identity and user experience need to tell the same story.
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Strategy that ships
When most design teams were still figuring out what AI meant for them, I developed a company-wide AI strategy that resulted in leadership pivoting to full AI integration. I know how to build and deliver frameworks that work.
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Generalist leadership
I’ve navigated two decades of paradigm shifts: from print to web, desktop to mobile, product design to prompt engineering. This experience has made me incredibly versatile and comfortable bridging multiple disciplines.
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I’m a Design Director based in Edinburgh with twenty years experience across product design, brand strategy, design systems and AI integration.
My career’s progressed from graphic design and branding to digital products and services at agencies like Made by Many and Wolff Olins. I ran my own consultancy for five years, working with the likes of Habito, OVO and Google, before moving into a design leadership role at Ecosia to lead its design practice and help shape the company’s vision for product and AI.
Along the way, I’ve learned how to approach situations cold, work quickly to identify opportunities and deliver results with measurable impact. I’m drawn to organisations that serve a broader purpose: climate, energy, culture, public good. If you’re interested in learning more about what I do or would like to get in touch, I’d welcome the conversation.
