At the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) show, exhibits are typically packed with complex machinery that broadcasts beams of penetrating X-rays, strong magnetic fields, and high-frequency sound waves, all as invisible as air. Accordingly, the exhibits showcasing these devices can look as cold and antiseptic as the machinery itself. To stand apart from those barren booths, Intelerad Medical Systems Inc. wanted an exhibit that would seem less severe and more sensuous.

Working with its Chicago-based exhibit house Ede Corp., Intelerad was inspired by Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, whose design echoes that of giant orchids, and Helsinki's Wisa Wooden Design Hotel, where wooden slats billow out like ribbons wafting in a spring breeze. Thus, when attendees approached the 50-by-50-foot booth, they first glimpsed a series of eight beams that rose vertically to a height of 16 feet and then bent 90 degrees horizontally to form a symmetrical, tree-like canopy. Made from 2-by-6-foot aluminum tubes, the overhead "branches" were finished with a wood-like laminate Intelerad used throughout the booth, including on its reception desk, back wall, and eight demonstration areas.

In the demo stations, guests sat on custom-made stools, whose ruby-red coverings matched the hue of Intelerad's corporate logo. (Nearby, recessed areas housed bouquets of similarly red poppies.) At each of the demo stations, Intelerad software engineers updated guests on the company's medical-imaging programs. After chatting with staffers, attendees moved to the hospitality area. There they sat on any of 30 counter stools upholstered in gray fabric next to customized stained tables made of butcher block material. Overhead, 16 "bubble" chandeliers, based on the midcentury motifs of famed designer George Nelson, submerged the exhibit in a soothing glow. Cozy and welcoming, Intelerad's booth proved that in addition to the aforementioned X-rays and magnetic fields, a hightech design could also radiate the human touch. E