Projects
Joel Yatscoff Creative Director
Phone number:
Email:
joel.yatcoff@gmail.com
joelyatscoff.com
Website: +01 647-822-7917
About
I bring bold ideas to life by transforming complex challenges into creative, impactful solutions. As a seasoned Creative Director and Senior Designer, I specialize in product and packaging design, brand development, and retail experiences. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, I have built a career rooted in excellence— collaborating with leading international brands to craft compelling, resonant designs that leave a lasting impression.
Achievements
• 2025 Project Management Professional (PMP)
• 2017 XPRIZE – Bold, Epic, Innovator Award
• 2015 James Dyson Award
• 2004 Good Design Award
Hobbies
Sailing Cooking Vintage Cars
2017 - 2018 Head of Product Development
Tokyo Smoke
2018 - 2019
Director of Product Development
Future State Brands
2019 - Present
Creative Director & Senior Designer
Burning Tree Design Inc.
Core Responsibilities
Innovative creative director, senior designer, and project manager driving product development, packaging design, and retail support for diverse industries and clients like Mejuri, HUGE, Joseph Mimran & Associates (JMA), The Hospital for Sick Kids, and Monstercat, Led all aspects of the design process from concept to launch.
CALLA MULTI TOOL
Inspired by a rolled joint, a Calla lily, and Georgia O'Keefe paintings, this multi-tool is packed with function. The large flared end functions as a bowl scrape and funnel to scoop up ground cannabis to fill pipes, joints, pre-rolls, or vaporizers. The "stamen" can be removed and used as a poke for clearing out airways in pipes, and the flared end can be used as a tamp.
DOT INFINITY GRINDER CARD
Grinder cards are an essential on-the-go tool for Cannabis preparation. This innovative design uses a variable, gradient matrix of holes and "pins" to allow for coarse to fine grinding to better tailor a grind to the consumption method. Fine grinds are used for vaporizing, while coarse grinds are used for pipes. A mix of coarse and fine is better suited for rolls. As a pattern, the holes also create a beautiful pattern where the metal seemingly transitions from porous to solid along its width.
HEMPATHY
A line of hemp-based body care products aimed primarily at women. Lotion, facial scrub, face serum, eye cream, and a lip balm are all thoughtfully curated to provide a broad spectrum of care for skin. While the packaging is simple, it was selected specifically to meet an aggressive retail roll-out plan, be highly approachable, and meet mass-retail packaging requirements.
ZOOMDOGS NOOTROPIC CAPSULE PACKAGING
Packaging project for nootropic manufacturer ZoomDogs. Shown are two different projects. The first was for microdose psilocybin capsules. That package was designed to reference vintage cassette tapes and even had a flip cover that was used to hide and contain the pills and dispensing holes.
CANNABIS PACKAGING CASE STUDY
Cannabis Packaging is Boring: Let's Reinvent it!
After months in development, Burning Tree is proud to be launching this vanity packaging case study together with Proto3000 | Design, Additive Manufacturing, and Metrology.
Vanity packaging is the packaging used for photography on social media posts, brand websites, and is often found behind display cases in Cannabis retailers. This packaging, if designed well, can excite your consumers and embody (and build) your brand in a highly regulated market. It's also much cheaper to produce than custom retail ready packaging which typically has massive order sizes and high tooling costs.
For this case study, we took 4 Canadian Cannabis brands and reimagined how their vanity packaging could look if it given this mandate: ensure it excites the consumer, communicates the brand promises, and make it unforgettable.
ACMPR CANNABIS PACKAGING
This packaging and labeling project was completed for a Canadian licensed producer (LP) of Cannabis. Designed to meet the governing ACMPR regulations, this project communicated the female focused wellness angle of the brand. However, the creative structural packaging solution utilized a stock mailer with custom elements to make it feel special but also meet tight budgets and low production volumes. The simple corrugate insert allows for multiple purchase sizes and cultivars. The standardized immediate packaging used the same lid, so the insert captures the lid and allows for small, medium, and large sized combinations.
VAN DER POP PATIENT WELCOME KIT
The patient welcome kit for WeedMD's partnership with Van der Pop. This project is a nod to the classic shoe-box-as-stash container. Contained within was a curated unboxing experience starting with the bi-fold information pamphlet presented on a tray. Once removed, the new patient is then presented two strains of medicinal cannabis and a curated collection of branded accessories.
COSMETICS PACKAGING (INFLUENCER KIT)
To launch this new cosmetics brand tailored for BIPOC audiences, a carefully curated selection of products was assembled into an influencer kit. The project faced constraints, including a tight timeline, a limited budget, and small production volumes, while still aiming to deliver a premium unboxing and brand experience. The final design features a distinctive double-slider opening mechanism, tiered product trays, and a large, single-fold brochure that introduces the brand and its offerings. To enhance intrigue and visual appeal, the brand’s monogram was incorporated into a patterned design
HOLD FAST SAILING
An online ecommerce brand that sells physical and digital products to sailing enthusiasts. This project included the development of the brand, website, digital and physical products. The logo was specifically designed to easily translate into physical product. The core product line of sailing themed, limited-edition posters designed to celebrate sailing vessel class insignia as artwork. Each poster included a hardcopy certificate of authenticity (CoA) and legend to add to the purchase and unboxing experience. Line extensions included a full digital download of the insignia repository.
CRUUZY RETAIL DISPLAYER
A value driven retail displayer for a cannabis brand launch. As with most retail sales support assets, displayers need to adapt to a changing catalogue of products as the new product introduction (NPI) process with provincial regulators can have long lead times. This display utilized 4 different movable display elements that could showcase, 1, 2, 3, or 4 different SKUs at any time. This flexibility ensured the display could grow as the brand added more product to its line.
GENERAL ADMISSION RETAIL DISPLAYER
Utilizing a direct print acrylic construction, this high value displayer was designed to last many product launches. Representing elongated tickets, each ‘stand’ had a small recess that allowed for multiple display platforms to be secured easily (for tubes, boxes, or pouches). Further, rare-earth magnets allowed for product descriptors to be easily attached into place for simple product swapping with minimal fuss.
TREMBLANT RETAIL DISPLAYER
Designed for the Canadian launch of Quebec-based, Tremblant Cannabis, this displayer drew heavily from the brand’s nostalgic cultural vibes of 70’s and 80’s. As the product could not be displayed openly instead the design opted for a polaroid-inspired card that could be swapped out for other SKUs as they debuted. All discrete display components could be easily repositioned, and each display ‘kit’ came with different sized mats to accommodate stores with different size restrictions.
SUPERBLOOM FLOWER PIPE
Originally conceived as a ceramic chillum, this project underwent several design changes in form, material, and manufacturing process before landing on the final production specification as a blown borosilicate pipe. Available in 2 colors, this pipe features a large bowl, generous airway/cooling chamber to provide smooth draws. Custom designed and tooled using an offshore manufacturer with a depth of experience in the cannabis sector, this pipe also is packaged in a custom tube with color matched EVA foam.
SETSET – PSYCHEDELIC INTEGRATION TOOLS
SetSet was originally conceived to authentically bring physical product into the emerging psychedelic sector – a natural next step from cannabis. This brand stated as a simple, but thoughtful prompt-based card game to encourage more meaningful connection while under the influence. While developing and launching the game, it grew into a brand that built off it original purposes but with a greater mission to educate women about the safe usage for recreational and therapeutic applications.
EDITION ROLLING TRAY SET
This rolling tray set was designed to be minimal but still highly functional. Nesting neatly into a small tabletop set, the individual ‘trays’ separated the functional areas for cannabis usage: rolling, preparation, and consumption. Designed for a Toronto-based cannabis retailer, the entire designed was produced using local artisans within 50km of its eventual retail home. The lower tray was a milled Corian, the middle tray a milled maple, and the upper ashtray was a compression formed porcelain.
SWEETWEED
A licensed producer of cannabis in the Canadian market wanted to develop a brand that evoked memories of late 70’s and early 80’s pop culture references while also celebrating the historically stigmatized culture. The name, corporate registration, and website had already been purchased ahead of any design activities, so the development needed to work within these constraints. The project included creation of the branding, website, hardline private label products, creative exploration of future product launches, vanity and compliant packaging and labeling.
