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Sort-O-Bull 5000

Smart Disposal Container

Case Study

Project Context

Client

City of Durham | Innovation Team


Initial Client Ask

The Innovation Team needed a MyMatR smart disposal container branded for City Hall. They requested a wrap with the City logo plus a basic background.


Client Objective

Improve employee and resident waste and recycling sorting behavior


Additional Problem Identified + Updated Client Ask
While the MyMatR smart disposal container auto-sorts items and displays performance feedback out of the box, it doesn’t naturally grab attention or create the desire to “get it right.” Most people are on autopilot. If they do use the MyMatR, they’ll drop an item into a slot and keep walking, never looking at the feedback screen. Just putting a City of Durham logo on the unit isn’t going to fix this problem.


To actually improve employee and resident sorting skills, the wrap design had to do what the hardware couldn’t— drive engagement and build anticipation for the on-screen feedback. The Innovation Team agreed and approved this expanded direction.

Insight

Public disposal is a zero-feedback, autopilot action. 
People aren’t used to getting a “right/wrong” result when they throw something away, so they don’t naturally look for it and screens are easy to ignore.


Judgment changes effort. 

When people expect their choice will be evaluated, they try harder to get it right.


Games create a win condition. 

If the interaction feels like a game, people care about the outcome and want to win.


Out-of-the-ordinary visuals earn attention fast.
Retro arcade visual language is a recognizable shortcut that signals “this is playful” at a glance.

Strategy

Pattern Break + Trust - Stop foot traffic while staying on brand
Move: Use a late-70s/early-80s video arcade cabinet look to stop foot traffic, while anchoring trust and comprehension using the City’s established recycling visual system (same typefaces, color palette, and recycling item illustrations from the Put It In The Blue Bin vehicle recycling sign system).


Skills Challenge - Create stakes + anticipation for feedback

Move: Frame disposal as a quick “test your skills” moment—so people want to win, check the screen, and care what the machine says.


The Bull as Anchor - Durham’s shared mascot

Move: Make the Bull the primary anchor for the unit, front-and-center, as a large robotic bull head and in the name Sort-O-Bull 5000 because all Durham residents love the Bull. This makes the unit feel like Durham in a single glance.


Joyful Reward - Close-up payoff that earns repeat looks
Move: Build faux-product labels as playful micro-stories — bull puns, Durham locations, and community “insider” knowledge — so the compliance messaging rewards closer looks with a quick laugh.


Accessibility + Distance Legibility - Read fast in the real world

Move: Apply WCAG 2.1 AA contrast discipline and the 10-feet-to-1-inch legibility rule so the wrap reads fast in a real public space.

My Role

Strategy + Creative Direction + Hand-Drawn Illustration + Design + Production (Print-Ready Files + MyMatR Handoff) + Client Leadership (Pitch + Reviews)

TL;DR

Client

City of Durham | Innovation Team


Client Ask

The Innovation Team needed a MyMatR smart disposal container branded for City Hall. They requested a wrap with the City logo plus a basic background.


What I Did
Instead of simply designing a logo wrap, I created a wrap concept that transforms the unit into the Sort-O-Bull 5000, a skills-challenge arcade game that grabs attention, creates a “try to win” moment, and builds anticipation for the on-screen feedback.


My Role

Strategy + Creative Direction + Hand-Drawn Illustration + Design + Production (Print-Ready Files + MyMatR Handoff) + Client Leadership (Pitch + Reviews)

Sort-O-Bull 5000

Smart Disposal Container

Case Study

Project Context

Client

City of Durham | Innovation Team


Initial Client Ask

The Innovation Team needed a MyMatR smart disposal container branded for City Hall. They requested a wrap with the City logo plus a basic background.


Client Objective

Improve employee and resident waste and recycling sorting behavior


Additional Problem Identified + Updated Client Ask
While the MyMatR smart disposal container auto-sorts items and displays performance feedback out of the box, it doesn’t naturally grab attention or create the desire to “get it right.” Most people are on autopilot. If they do use the MyMatR, they’ll drop an item into a slot and keep walking, never looking at the feedback screen. Just putting a City of Durham logo on the unit isn’t going to fix this problem.


To actually improve employee and resident sorting skills, the wrap design had to do what the hardware couldn’t— drive engagement and build anticipation for the on-screen feedback. The Innovation Team agreed and approved this expanded direction.

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