In recognition of its brand work for International Paper's Accent Opaque line, Rockford-based creative agency Trekk has been awarded a highly-coveted Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award.

About the Accent Opaque Brand Refresh
Accent Opaque is a premium paper known for its ability to keep colors true with enhanced whiteness and brightness. In order to align the brand's identity with the loyalty that the Accent community has always felt for it, Trekk went back to International Paper's roots, elevating its history to appeal to designers, printers, and paper merchants alike.

Trekk began with the Accent A. With a nod to Lester Beall, the icon of mid-century design who created the original International Paper logo, Trekk created an A that uses the same angles and curves as that logo — but takes on a modern life of its own.

The project also included the design and development of a new Accent Opaque website. The website provides inspiration and educational resources aimed at building the community of Accent users while generating new leads for the International Paper sales team. It includes a gallery of creative projects printed on Accent paper, a library of Accent video content and downloadable resources, Accent Opaque paper specs, and blog content specifically targeted at designers and printers.

Trekk soft-launched the new look and feel of Accent Opaque to a huge audience of designers and creatives at HOW Design Live 2018 by asking the creative community: “What will you put your accent on?” With an analog print campaign that consisted of paper cutouts through which designers could view and capture scenery, the agency demonstrated the quality of Accent Opaque paper and encouraged interactivity and playfulness.

Accent's new look made an even bigger splash at Adobe MAX 2018, with an event traffic driver that featured retro-themed paper-craft television sets made with Accent Opaque paper. Augmented reality brought the Accent brand story to life via multiple video “channels,” each in a different vintage throwback style. Adobe MAX attendees were encouraged to “put their Accent on” the TVs by designing their own channels and sharing to social media.

Finally, the refreshed brand was applied to all Accent collateral, including the Accent swatchbook, a comprehensive guide to the entire Accent line. The swatchbook features vibrant spreads showcasing innovative printing techniques like foiling, embossing, and UV coating so that printers and designers can see how Accent performs in every circumstance.