Visual Image Identity Competition: Best of Show (Tie)

Along with California, Texas is the setting and the source of much of the American legend. The name is a trigger: it evokes an array of images ranging from six-gun justice to television's Dallas, from Jim Bowie at the Alamo to Troy Aikman at the Super Bowl. All of it is bigger than life, which seems appropriate for a state as large as many nations, and which itself was an independent republic before joining the United States.

For 90 years, Neiman Marcus has been part of Texas, and in its own way, has become as much a part of the Texas myth as Pecos Bill. The Book, the Fortnights and “Mr. Stanley” Marcus'devotion to the finest quality all have contributed to the zest and sense of “over the top” that define Texas in the collective consciousness.

It stands to reason, then, that the celebration of the store's ninetieth anniversary would also be a celebration of Texas and Texans. Indeed, Ignaz Gorischek, the store's vice president for visual planning and presentation, said the staff viewed the celebration as a chance to do a small-scale fortnight for Texas.

“It's a thank-you gift to our customers,” Gorischek explains. He notes that while the presentation department's primary task ordinarily is to sell merchandise, in this instance they were allowed a freer rein. And this freedom won them the Visual Image and Identity Competition's award for storewide promotion, as well as “Best of Show” honors.

Photos by Steve Vaughan, Dallas