U1X_4
Paper B2B Environmental Leadership Campaign
Brand Strategy / Creative Strategy / Identity Design
The client came to us seeking a shift in campaign tone and personality. In the recycled paper category, they wanted a campaign that showcased U1X—the brightest recycled paper in the category—while showing that doing the right thing doesn’t require sacrificing visual impact.
Brand Strategy
Narrative Platform
Brand Promise
Hi-brite, responsible paper that proves environmental progress doesn’t require visual compromise.
Brand Pillars
98 Brightness
Extreme whiteness amplifies contrast and clarity while maintaining control, balance, and visual comfort.
Responsible Composition
Made with 20% post-consumer recovered fiber and FSC-certified sourcing to support responsible material stewardship.
Renewable Production
Manufactured using renewable energy to reduce environmental impact while maintaining consistent quality and performance.
Even Surface
A smooth, consistent sheet that supports sharp detail, balanced coverage, and dependable print results.
Brightening the big picture.
Brand Character
Responsible
Bright
Fresh
Composed
Detailed
Creative Strategy
Concept Development
Appleton Coated requested a more formal campaign to support a new position around environmental leadership. With the auto industry as the largest purchaser of U1X—and as Subaru’s Agency of Record during the opening of its new LEED-certified plant—our concept took shape as
“Plant Life.”
By drawing on Subaru’s conservation story, we showed how rigorous manufacturing and responsible stewardship can coexist at scale, using side-by-side imagery of industrial processes and natural landscapes to illustrate both today’s actions and tomorrow’s greener outcomes.
Identity Design
Photography Selection
To tell the full conservation story, we partnered with photographer Vic Huber—shooting manufacturing on location and pairing it with his extensive archive of nature photography. This side-by-side approach creates direct visual comparisons between industrial practice and natural systems, reinforcing the balance between performance and environmental responsibility.
Cover Photography
Cover photography was created in-studio with photographer Vic Huber to establish the campaign’s core idea in a single, symbolic frame. A dramatic sky breaks with light above a tire packed with sand and grit, where a small sprout emerges—signaling birth, resilience, and the coexistence of performance and nature.
Copy Tone Direction
In collaboration with copywriter Van Horgan, the messaging adopts a formal, evidence-driven tone that underscores environmental responsibility and real-world impact. Clear, declarative language replaces parody, positioning sustainability as a practical, measurable commitment rather than a promotional claim, and framing the paper as proof that performance and stewardship can work in tandem.
The Finishing Line
Our applications are an extension of applied product development—using demanding print finishes and techniques to test, validate, and express U1X Green’s performance. Inline aqueous coating, touch-plate, four color photography, and spot and process color fields reveal both material integrity and content authenticity.
