Signs About Recycling

Here I have taken a picture of a rather ineffective sign aiming to promote recycling. The sign says "New York City, Curbside Recycling Street" then in much smaller text "Help Reduce New York's Waste Please Recycle" with a picture of a trash can with a tape measure wrapped around it. One of the main problems of this sign is that it was placed at about 12 feet above the ground where a person walking by would easily miss it. The image of the trash can used seems to be measuring its weight, it is aimed to be a symbol of reducing trash/waste, but as a viewer I care very little about how fit a trash can is. There is nothing about this sign that offers reward for recycling or punishment for not recycling. It rather meekly asks the viewer to recycle.

Below this sign I have designed my own sign about recycling which would be much more affective. I have made the 'Our' in "This Is Our City" red, in order to instill a sense of responsibility and community in the viewer, like a sort of rallying of the troops. Bellow it is a picture of a family at the park. This picture represents a reward of recycling; a healthy earth for you and your children to enjoy. And underneath in green text it says "Lets Keep It Clean Together" which addresses not only recycling but littering also, and a sense of community, the green representing earth. And finally in red text it is stated exactly the action asked of the viewer "Reduce Waste PLEASE RECYCLE" so that there is no confusion is the exact behavior the sign is trying alter. The sign should be placed at eye level so that pedestrians are readily confronted with it.