Kimberly, Wis. - Each year, Appleton Coated brings together a panel of leading designers from across North America to serve on its Design Council. The members share their observations from their geographical and professional areas.

"Engaging designers in a dialogue about their business and ours helps us to shape a relevant marketing program that supports our customers' success," says Phil Cavalier, vice president of marketing at Appleton Coated. "We meet to learn first-hand about issues and trends that they observe in their region. We, in turn, share trends that we see in paper and print."

The 2010 Appleton Coated Design Council members include:
- Justin Ahrens, principal of Rule29 in Geneva, Ill.
- Lynda Decker, owner and principal of Decker Design Inc. in New York
- David Kohler, owner and executive creative director of OTTO in New York
- Bill Thorburn, founding principal of The Thorburn Group in Minneapolis
- Kathleen Turaski, co-founder and principal of Resonance Marketing in Decatur, Ga.
- Bryan Peterson, owner and principal of Peterson Ray & Company in Dallas

Decker and Peterson are the newest members named to the Design Council. Lori Carrabba, print production professional in Peapack, N.J., (former executive vice president of Ogilvy HealthWorld in New York) joined the judging process to focus on the award for best in print execution.

In January, the Appleton Coated Design Council met in Kohler, Wis. Along with discussing industry issues and trends, they reviewed the 2010 U360 entries. The council's selections recognize the effective, creative role that print communication plays in marketing mix. The winners will be announced in May.

"As the name suggests, '360' reflects an 'all around' assessment -- from concept and writing, imagery and design, and finally, quality of print and bindery execution," explains Cavalier. "From the Design Council members' feedback and insights, U360 evolved from the previous U B the Judge competition to meet the changing marketplace head on and to celebrate the vital role print plays in driving marketing results."

The U360 submissions produced in 2009 were printed all, or in part, on Utopia and/or Curious Collection papers.