Say What?!? A Super Quick Lesson in Balloon Talk
- pumpedxv
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What’s in a name? Well, when it comes to balloon services, quite a lot! Many years ago, I worked in customer service for a bank. I spoke to customers every day about what, how, or why things happened in their accounts and one of the most important things quality assurance would listen for was the use of bank jargon- words most people outside of the banking industry wouldn't know- and we were to use it as little as possible or points would be taken off our call. Today, as a balloon designer, I'm surprised at how often I have to remind myself of that very thing. Before working in the balloon industry, I only knew balloons to be helium balloons and only became aware of balloon garlands when scouring Pinterest for graduation decor. So I'm totally understanding when a potential client reaches out wanting a balloon arch, only to uncover that they really meant a balloon garland- and a good balloon artist will always ask the right questions to get to that conclusion!
I've made a list of my most common services, with a few photos because if you're like me, you're a visual person, so you can go into your party planning knowing exactly what you're looking for! Now, this list isn't the gospel truth. It includes my services; with what I call them (though I do try to stick to titles that are commonly used throughout the industry).
Balloon Garland/Organic Style Balloon Garland: My most popular service. A balloon garland could be described as a strand of balloons formed by clusters of balloons in a variety of sizes. Now, I do use my artistic eye to create the design and shaping, so there is more to it than that, but for the purpose of this lesson, we'll roll with it.
Balloon Arch: Another popular request, usually with our business clients here in the Quad Cities. A balloon arch entails balloons placed on a curved frame (provided by us) to form an arch shape. When you ask for this, I'll follow up by asking if you'd prefer a classic style arch or an organic style arch.
Classic Style is going to give you a uniform look/design, like a spiral, while Organic Style is going to give you a more decorative, full look.
Basic Balloon Types
Latex Balloons: standard rubber balloons and what I use 90% of the time
Chrome Balloons: latex balloons with a metallic finish
Foil Balloons/Mylar Balloons: metallic balloons, often shaped or themed
Bubble/Bobo Balloons: clear, stretchy plastic balloons. I use these for column toppers for a little extra pizazz!
Orbz Balloons: perfectly round 3D foil balloons
Marquee Letters/Numbers and Balloon Mosaics
One of our most popular requests are Marquees- the light up letters you're seeing everywhere!
Mosaics are when we fill the frame of letters or numbers with balloons. This option does cost more due to the additional time and supplies required.
Balloon Wall: Just like the name suggests, it's a wall made up entirely of balloons!
They are so fun and the PERFECT photo backdrop! We offer these in 3 different sizes!
Party Poles and Balloon Columns: Party Poles are one of my best sellers! They're different, fun, and customizable. Though somewhat uniform in appearance, these would be considered more organic style opposed to balloon columns. When you think of a balloon column, think of that same uniform look in the classic style arch, except the design goes straight up and down. Even though it's a uniform look, it can still be customized through colors and a personalized balloon topper, like what we do on our party poles!
So... did you think there were this many different types of balloon services? As the industry continues to grow and more and more designs and techniques are introduced, I'm sure I'll have to revise this list from time to time, which is pretty exciting! And don't worry! Like I mentioned earlier, if you don't know the name of what you're looking for, it is my job as a professional to ask the right questions to help uncover your service need! It's all part of the process!