Joel Yow joins CannonDesign as Director of Digital Products

Joel brings a wealth of experience as a designer, entrepreneur and data enthusiast. Known for his fearless approach to technology and data, he’ll drive the strategic development and management of our digital products, with a specific focus on creating bespoke software solutions that address the needs of both our teams and clients.

Joel's journey to CannonDesign includes co-founding linear A, a data-driven design practice born out of a desire to harness the untapped potential of integrated design, data and analysis strategies in complex projects and organizations. Notably, at linear A, he worked with industry leaders to develop Knossos, a flexible platform with embedded facility planning, benchmarking and advanced reporting. Combining detailed analytics with flexible planning allows users to analyze data from hospitals across the country while tailoring responses to local needs, revolutionizing how health systems understand the national healthcare landscape and plan strategically.

Despite his focus on digital products, Joel is quick to emphasize that technology isn’t always the answer. His role involves identifying meaningful problems that could benefit from technology solutions and either finding existing solutions or creating new ones from scratch.

One topic that’s top of mind for Joel is the importance of ensuring technology enhances rather than dehumanizes the design process.

"How can we ethically and responsibly create tools that enhance what must remain a deeply human-driven experience? How do we ensure that design data isn't just accessible, but empowering for all? These are the weighty questions we're grappling with, and it's CannonDesign's commitment to addressing them head-on that drew me here. This firm genuinely cares about making a positive impact on people's lives, above all else. That's a rare ethos to find in the tech world."

Joel’s arrival marks a significant step in our firm’s strategy to "Dream it and Do it" when it comes to technology. Over the past year, we've bolstered our capabilities with dedicated experts in data science and visualization, smart buildings, software development, immersive technologies and more. Brooke Grammier, CannonDesign’s Chief Information Officer, sums up our vision for technology best.

"We can't rely on others to always provide the technologies we need today. We have the insights and understanding to identify what can truly improve our processes, as well as help our clients do more for the people they serve. That's why we're making big investments in our technology team — to push us to dream big and turn our ideas into solutions we can deploy. Joel's expertise is such a valuable addition to this journey, and I'm thrilled to have him on board as we shape our future.