At its core, an exhibit is a pint-sized theme park for the brand it represents, a place where every detail is meticulously selected to communicate something about the company. But the designers at Schaumburg, IL-based 3D Exhibits Inc. took that notion literally when designing this exhibit for Garden of Life. To communicate to attendees at Natural Products Expo West that the maker of sustainably grown health products was rooted in the ethics of organic farming, 3D Exhibits transformed the 20-by-40-foot swath of show-floor concrete into a garden plot.

Garden of Life had approached its exhibit designers with a peculiar request: Re-create the look of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" into a larger-than-life garden scape. Designers delivered via supersized props and playful details from the floor to the rigging that charmed Exhibit Design Awards judges. "This one takes the top honors for whimsy," one judge said.

A rotating, 10-foot-diameter sun-like structure, created from tensioned fabric and emblazoned with the Garden of Life logo, seemingly cast golden rays down upon the booth, and a pair of blue-gray, tensioned-fabric clouds completed the sky scape. Meanwhile, a 13-foot-tall spade and rake set emerged from the convention center floor. But the exhibit's fantastical form didn't inhibit its function. The interior of the 14-foot-tall watering can doubled as a secluded conference room, and four informal seating areas, comprising stump-like stools and glass-topped terra-cotta pots, were used for impromptu meetings.

The process of creating Garden of Life's exhibit wasn't all that different from growing sustainable produce. The company planted the seed of an idea, which was nurtured by designers until it bloomed into a brand-appropriate booth where the company could truly flourish.