RecycleSmart, a waste removal organization in Contra Costa County, California, was looking to change customer behavior by increasing standard recycling and food scrap recycling.

I served as the lead designer collaborating on a small team in rethinking RecycleSmart's print and digital newsletter, and company site. Through research provided by RecycleSmart, and in-house testing, our team focused on their audiences—making the case for recycling without preaching through the development of highly visual designs.

The website and newsletter have won awards from the California Association of Public Information Officers, the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, and the Academy of Interactive Visual Design (The Davey Awards).

Work completed at MIG.

RecycleSmart Newsletter

The bold, visual forward newsletter takes inspiration from the pagination and thoughtful design of editorial consumer magazines, using a strong hierarchy and grid, infographics, photos, and illustrations to unpack dense information in a captivating way.

After completing the print design, I created a mobile-first digital layout that leveraged the established content and visual design, presenting it in an accessible format for the newsletter's residential audience.

RecycleSmart Website

The site's visual style, and layered card approach was shaped by the newsletter's editorial design influence.

Through my art direction, the site's hero graphic features visual representations of each audience recycling in their own environment. 

Process and Testing

Because resources at public service organizations are not the same as large businesses and enterprises, RecycleSmart needed a process that was unique to them. Each iteration of the RecycleSmart site was tested with approximately three to five people in-house at MIG. Learnings from these tests, and research provided by RecycleSmart which I synthesized led to a better understanding of navigation content and placement, use of the site's value proposition, and overall site experience. 

Starting with RecycleSmart MIG took first steps in developing a more human-centered approach in their project work as a result of my contributions and leadership.

Inspiration and Photography

The newsletter and site use imagery that reference relatable, lifestyle environments. These mood boards served as inspiration for photo and video shoots. Additionally, I performed extensive research on editorial layout as reference for the newsletter.

Through three photo shoots we captured imagery of each audience for these and future branded materials.

As a result of our collaboration, RecycleSmart's marketing efforts were now unified under one consistent style and brand. Following the completion of the newsletter and site, MIG and RecycleSmart's partnership continued with new editions of the newsletter, direct mail pieces, site updates, and other materials.  

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