EV Branding: Mobile Vehicle Identity

Overview

PETCO partnered with a local municipality to deploy a fully electric collection vehicle. The EV needed more than a wrap, it needed a bold, public-facing identity that could communicate recycling behaviour quickly, clearly and at street level.

My role was to create a visual system that turned a single vehicle into a moving billboard for separation-at-source, with enough clarity and confidence to educate while on the road.

The Challenge

Recycling messages are often muted, cluttered or visually inconsistent. The EV had to cut through suburban noise, read instantly at a distance, and feel modern enough to challenge the usual “green and brown” recycling aesthetic.

It also had to carry one message in a way residents could understand in three seconds:
Separate recyclable packaging from waste.

The Idea

Treat the EV like a moving billboard, something that works at 5 metres or 50.

The concept centred on:

• Bold colour blocking designed for motion visibility

• Simple, direct messaging with no competing information

• Iconography and layout that wrap naturally around the vehicle form

• A system that could scale to future EVs or other municipal assets if required

The vehicle becomes a daily reminder that recycling isn’t abstract, it’s immediate, practical and visible.

The Execution

I developed a full wrap system using high-contrast magenta and clean white space to give the EV a modern, disruptive presence on the road.
Elements included:

• Side and rear panel layouts

• Scalable iconography

• Message hierarchy

• Brand-aligned colour system

• Production-ready wrap files

• A template for future vehicles

The design maintains clarity from every angle and reads instantly while the vehicle is in motion or stopped at a collection point.