Combined Locks, Wisconsin - Appleton Coated congratulates the U360 Design Competition’s 2015 winners and presents them in its online gallery at appletoncoated.com and in “One,” the printed showbook. Six creative professionals from the Appleton Coated Design Council evaluated hundreds of entries and selected the best examples demonstrating the impact of well-executed print.

“The creative minds behind the U360 winning entries are those who dared to up the ante, to feud with the familiar and to outwit the ordinary. They boldly stand apart from the rest. They deserve to be celebrated as extraordinary examples of all that vision, design and paper make possible, sparking inspiration and aspiration through printed communication,” says Ferkó X. Goldinger, Appleton Coated’s marketing manager.

Now in its seventh year, U360 celebrates design, content and printing excellence, and all that paper makes possible. Appleton Coated introduced U360 in 2009 as a new, professionally-reviewed North American competition. It evolved from the successful legacy of the U B the Judge event-based, peer-judged format. 

Submissions to the 2016 U360 Competition must be printed all, or in part, on Utopia and/or Curious Collection, accompanied by a completed entry form, and produced in 2015. Entries for the 2015 U360 Design Competition are due Dec. 4, 2015. Special awards honor entries in the categories of Best of Show, Design Excellence, Print Excellence, Communication Excellence and Regional Excellence.

Best of Show 

“Nick Cave: Sojourn;” designed by Faust, Chicago; printed by Graphic Arts Studio, Lake Barrington, Illinois; paper grades are Utopia Two Matte 100-pound text, Curious Metallics Super Gold 111-pound Cover and Curious Metallics Super Gold 80-pound Text. 

“When I need a paper that will convey luxury and quality without calling conspicuous attention to itself I think of Utopia. The number 2 matte is my choice sheet when $ comes into play. I love its shade and hand. I chose Curious Metallics Super Gold for the end papers to draw a connection to the title wall from the actual exhibition space. I tried my best to translate the real experience to one you can hold in your hands,” stated Bob Faust, principal of Faust.

Design Excellence Award 

“Lincoln Welcome Package” designed by Team Detroit, Dearborn, Michigan; printed by The Hennegan Company, Florence, Kentucky; paper grade is Utopia Premium Silk 100-pound text.

“We choose Premium Silk for a number of reasons – brightness, opacity and balance from sheet to sheet. The consistency of Utopia insures that the print quality will be the same throughout the print run. We have never had a paper issue when using Utopia,” said Brian Curran, vice president, senior print producer at Team Detroit.

Print Excellence Award

“Remembrances of Pumpkins Past;” designed by Adcetera, Houston, Texas; printed by RR Donnelley, Houston, Texas; paper grades are U2:XG Matte 100-pound cover, U2:XG Matte 80-pound text and SKIN Curious Collection Black 141-pound cover. 

“Its good grip, solid weight and tactile nature make it enjoyable to the touch and strong enough to support black on black varnish or foil against a matte finish. These papers truly allow our work to shine, and make our audience want to get involved and read more,” praised Rowan Gearon, vice president, creative services, at Adcetera.

Communication Excellence Award

“CHGO DSGN Face to Face;” designed by Thirst in collaboration with Brendan Shanley, Chicago, Illinois; printed by Cenveo, Eureka, Missouri; paper grade is U2:XG Gloss 80-pound cover and SKIN Curious Collection Extra White 100-pound cover. 

“Utopia remains the perfect choice for our UV printing. Our friends at Cenveo knew its super smooth surface would deliver a terrific hold out, sensational color, and the results would feel alive. Vibrant is the perfect superlative! We are euphoric over Utopia,” said Rick Valicenti, founder & design director at Thirst.

The additional 2015 winning entries are:

- “855 Avenue of the Americas;” designed by Language Dept., New York; printed by Brilliant Graphics, Exton, Pennsylvania; paper grades are Utopia two Matte 100-pound cover and 80-pound text. 

- “Neltner Small Batch Book;” designed by Neltner Small Batch, Camp Springs; printed by Arnold Printing, Cincinnati; paper grades are Curious Touch Whipped Cream 111-pound cover, SKIN Curious Collection Black 141-pound cover and U2XG Ivory Matte 80-pound Cover. 

- “Forward Condominiums Brochure;” designed by LA Inc., Toronto; printed by Somerset Graphics Co. Ltd., Mississauga; paper grade is Utopia Two Matte 65-pound cover.

- “Harry Winston Japan Collection Catalog”; designed by Harry Winston, Inc., New York; printed by Digital Color Concepts, Mountainside; paper grade is Curious Metallics Ice Silver 80-pound text. 

- “American International College Graduate Viewbooks;” designed by Transit Authority Figures Incorporated, Northampton; printed by Kirkwood Printing, Wilmington; paper grade is Curious Translucents Clear 36-pound text. 

- “The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Fashion 2014;” designed by Faust, Chicago; printed by Quantum Color Graphics, Morton Grove; paper grades are U1X Silk in 80-pound cover and Utopia Two Matte 100-pound text. 

- “Cadillac Escalade Next Generation 2015;” designed by Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Detroit; printed by Classic Color, Broadview; paper grades are Utopia One Gloss 100-pound cover and text. 

Entries receiving regional excellence include:

- East – “The University of the Arts Undergraduate Viewbook;” designed by 160 over 90, Philadelphia; printed by Epic Litho, Phoenixville; paper grade is Curious Translucents 65-pound cover. 

“The client wanted to utilize a translucent paper for the cover of this viewbook. Curious offered an effective solution of 65 lb Translucents cover that was also able to carry the UV coating to provide an exceptional visual impact.” Said Jarred Garber, senior account manager at Epic Litho.

- West – “Indian Motorcycle 2015 Rider Catalog;” designed by Colle + McVoy, Minneapolis; printed by GLS Companies, Brooklyn Park; paper grades are U2:XG Ivory Matte 80-pound cover and 100-pound text. 

"We chose U2 Ivory Matte for a variety of reasons, but primarily the look and feel was the perfect nod to the Americana theme and the historical and vintage nature of the design. The ivory created a slightly aged look which is exactly what we were after. The beauty of this sheet is that it has a bit of a tactile feel, more like an uncoated sheet, but the matte surface quality is such that it prints more like a coated sheet, allowing the product and beauty shots to reproduce well and allowing us to match the color of the bike metal, paint colors, leather, and apparel nicely,” said Ralph Tuff, account executive, GLS Companies.

The 2015 Appleton Coated Design Council members are:

- Justin Ahrens, creative director at Rule29 in Geneva, Illinois

- Paul Charbonnier, production manager at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts

- Bob Faust, owner & principal at Faust in Chicago, Illinois

- Vicky Jones, president of Brand Fever in Atlanta, Georgia

- Yang Kim, creative director at Peopledesign in Grand Rapids, Michigan

- Mike Wildman, vice president, creative services at Muscular Dystrophy Association in Chicago, Illinois

For more information about Appleton Coated’s U360 Competition, Showbook, or Utopia and Curious Collection, visit appletoncoated.com.