First Place: “Macy’s Pride Windows 2021”

2022 International Visual Competition FIRST PLACE: Non-Holiday Window Displays

IN 2021, NEW YORK CITY opted to skip its annual Pride march for another year in a row due to Covid – the annual event touted as the largest LGBTQIA+ Pride march in the world. Despite the disheartening news, several New York retailers, including storied department store Macy’s, opted to keep spirits high.

“New York’s Pride committee (NYC Pride) worked with several companies to celebrate Pride in their storefronts and windows. This effort was paired with an app, so that people could visit various stores to celebrate,” says Andi Woung, Manager Flagship Windows, Macy’s. “We really wanted to celebrate the people who have come over the years to celebrate in the streets here. So through the partnership of the NYC Pride committee archives and our Diversity and Inclusion team, we were able to bring years of parades to our windows.”

Six windows, in addition to the façade, combined color, historical photographs and illumination to make a bold statement at the retailer’s Herald Square headquarters. Macy’s visual team worked closely with NYC Pride to source historical, archival photos of past Pride parades and events to use in the displays. The images were then printed on transparent PTG panels to be individually hung – in the end, there were roughly 600 total pictures on display backlit by oversized LED walls.

Each window represented a color from the original Pride flag, and in order to eschew the monotony of monochrome, differing hues were used in each. “In the ‘red’ window, you’ll see various shades of translucent and transparent red panels, layered in with black-and-white Pride celebration images from both organizations’ archives,” says Woung.

Shimmering outside of the windows with the movement of the wind were thousands of sequins lining the columned exterior. While aesthetically beautiful, the paillettes did create a challenge due to the high foot traffic – many visitors were tempted to pull a piece off while walking by. “The paillettes made the project feel like a giant parade float, in spite of curious souvenir takers,” says Woung.

Further beyond the window and spilling onto the sidewalk, colored graphic squares beckoned passersby to look upward. These non-slip sidewalk graphics comprise a thin adhesive aluminum sheet laminated with textured vinyl.

To top it off, “heart-shaped street graphics featuring QR codes enabled AR rainbow hearts to start popping up on customers’ smartphones when they would photograph their friends at the windows,” says Woung. “Then guests could have a little memento to take with them.”

PHOTO GALLERY (6 IMAGES)