Signage Product Redesign
Method Recycling
2025
Signage & environmental
Brief
Method Recycling produces beautiful office recycling bins and waste reduction systems. Generally Method’s customers purchase sets of stations: each station consists of several bins sat alongside one another that can collect different types of materials. By splitting up different types of waste into different bins, more materials can be properly recycled. A key component in this system is the physical signage that attaches to the bins, which informs people which bins different items should be placed in.
Method’s products are omnipresent in New Zealand and Australia, and can be found all over the world. Their clients are incredibly diverse and Method found that its old signage had become overly complicated and could not easily be adapted to service such a broad range of needs. The materials collected by bins in a hospital, for instance, are totally different to those collected in a kindergarten, yet each bin’s signage should be as specific as possible for each environment. A new, standardised system needed to be implemented which could be easily adapted to all sorts of specifications and different languages all over the world.
Solution
I first focused on simplifying Method’s signage system so that the fewest number of different products could meet the greatest demand. Following this philosophy, we decided to take a modular approach to our signage’s labels. Each label can be scaled to any size and fit within a range of pre-designed grid systems, allowing for easy customisation. I then created a library of icons which provide visual identification for each label.
An online signage builder tool was then created. If customers already know what bins they need, they can use the tool to select the correct signage and place an order. If they’re unsure, an AI assistant will make a recommendation based on written input. Whether you’re the founder of a SAAS startup or the sustainability manager at a large construction company, the tool is able to take this information and turn it into a recycling system for your exact needs.
Finally, the new signage was printed and stocked. Since then, it’s been used in all sorts of settings, from national museums to modern offices, and it looks terrific. Most importantly, it is incredibly streamlined compared to Method’s old signage range. This makes both our customers’ ordering process and our internal stock management much simpler. It’s a durable, future-proof product system that can scale with Method.
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Site last updated
4 April 2025