Recycling Container Instructions

That's a great task. Simplifying an unwieldy 12 step process to an easy to understand 5 really helps communicate the "easy" in easypak.

Here's some constructive feedback:

1) Fonts under all the illustrations could use a little more leading. The ascenders are almost touching the descenders,

2) Suggest font for warnings/attention area should be differentiated in size a little more, or made to be the same as the font under the illustrations. The visual tension between them will be reduced if this is fixed. Without this fixed it appears to be an unintentional mistake.

3) Illustration #5 should look more like the other illustrations. Needs some sort of 3d shades of gray, right now it's just full-on black and white, while the others illustrations are smoother and in a different style.

4) Illustration #1, The lines inside the box indicating the side-walls. Move them a bit further down the image. The placement of the back wall seems out of proportion/scale.

5) Step 2 instructions. Make Record "Accumulation Start Date" above ALL CAPS and lose the "

Reason: There should be only two levels of emphasis in your instructions. Normal text and EMPHASIZED. anything else makes too much visual noise.

6) Step 5 instructions. Do Not Use Justified text here. You don't have "justified" text anywhere else, don't start here.

7) Illustrations 1, 2, 3, Have the text curve to match the contour of the container.

8) Style suggestion, make the black boxes arouns the illustrations with rounded/radius corners. This is to match a bit more of the style I see on your website.

9) Create some rules for your illustration style and keep it in a guidebook. This new consistency will help your company seem dependable and reputable. ALL illustrations for your company have the same look to them. This includes PowerPoints for consultations. No clip art EVER unless it fits this style. (no more dumpster diving graphic)

9) Be proud of simplifying. A better, faster communication will help your company immensely. Good job Jon!

Hey,

what I think should be worked on is the typography, I find the text hard to read, also the align of the text.

Other then the clarity of the instructions depends on the people who read it but in my case everything is very clear.

On the caution I personally wouldn't use underline in the title and maibe some creative green bullet points .

That's it.

Regards, MEster

The instruction images are great and easy to understand. The content is also clear and straight forward. Your typography could be better. Increase your line height and organize the text at the end better. Other than that, good work!

You can make it WAY more simple! :) This is much too complicated, you don't need all the shadows and details. The instruction should be understandable without reading the text, and now it's not :)

Draw it using very basic geometric figures, circles and squares. No shadows, only black and white. If it's good that way, then maybe you can add some details - but not that many!

Also, I think that the text can be shorter and more clear. Again, simplify. No need for that many sizes, bullets, colours, underlines, titles. Increase spacing between letters, because now they are too crowded.

Nice examples:

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2010/01/i-hate-it-when.html

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2010/01/roll-out-veg-mat.html

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2009/12/dairyland.html

The instructions are clear and well working, so you have done a good work. But nevertheless I would still try to simplify the graphics, can you draw them in 2d, like the images on public trash cans?

You could also try more variation on the typogrphy. And there is also one bigger issue: In the battery-concept the lithium-line is in the middle of acceptable and not acceptable headlines. It should be made clearer that it belongs under the acceptable headline.

love the design. this is easy to follow and understand. the only issue is the color scheme for #5 in all the illustrations.

I would think that if you wanted to, you could go to full color which would show that easypak brings you back to life because it is so easy - otherwise, go to the standard grey and white

I like it nice work

I think this is tough to read and definitely can't be skimmed, which is what most users will want to do. Here are my thoughts:

-- Go horizontal with the directions. Instead of three columns of two I would do 7 rows with the numbers being green and no black background. Put the text to the right of the icon and simplify the text and make it larger.

Switch the accumulation date and logo. Make the Accumulation start date #1 and put the heading in Green.

In step One - lose "save shipping box to return full container" and put this on the opening of the box. If your users are anything like me they will have already tossed the box before reading this.

it's not clear if the liner comes in the box or the container? I think it's the container. If it is, I would say "Place the provided liner in the bucket"

Step Two - Record Accumulation Start date should be removed -- if you move that box like I recommended it would have already been completed. Now you can just say "Fill container with all your Appropriate Waste!"

Step 3 - I would say "When Container is full, seal liner with the provided cable"

Step 4 - I would say "Properly seal box and affix the prepaid shipping label. Be sure to save the tracking number!"

Step 5 - I would format it like so: LampRecycling.com/Pickup -- Schedule a Pickup LampRecycling.com/Certificates - Download your Recycling Certificate.

If you try the horizontal alignment I recommend you'll now have space to break "attention" "acceptable waste" and "not acceptable" into three columns and it won't seem so crowded. I would put an exclamation in a triangle next to attention.

Good start with the illustrations. Just simplify and play with your layout. Too much black right now.

need to play around with typo i guess..

your illustrations almost there... :)

Like what you've got so far. Illustrations seem pretty understandable, although I agree with somebody else who already said that your computer illustration doesn't match the others.

One big suggestion I would have is work a little more with your shades and colors to bring some style to the design. Remember - style is not just for "prettiness" - it's also a tool for usability.

For example, you might consider putting a small grey stroke around the illustration boxes. Also - not sure what your area to work with is, but consider giving your illustration images a little more "padding" within the boxes, and a little more top and bottom "margin" (to pull from web terms) to your text descriptions for readability.

One other thing that bugs me is the spacing on your instructions has awkward kerning - probably due to justifying the text. Why not center align instead so the spacing is not so awkward?

Also, I would place the *DOT... paragraph at the bottom under neath the illustrations, perhaps aligned with the whole horizontal width of your workspace.

Projects like this with such "dull" subject matter are tough for design, but this is where design comes in as a very practical solution. Great work so far!