Showing posts with label QBN - Qualatex Balloon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QBN - Qualatex Balloon. Show all posts

Monday, September 13, 2021

Classic Balloon Décor vs. Organic Balloon Décor

When I look at Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels, I see far more displays of organic balloon designs and installations than I do of Classic Balloon Decor. I believe that social media has played a huge part in the rise in popularity for the organic style of décor. So is Classic Décor going 'out of fashion?' Before we look further into this possible change of trend, let us look at what is meant by each of these styles of balloon decoration.

Classic Balloon Décor

Classic Balloon Décor is the building blocks of ballooning, and almost all balloon artists/decorators begin here! It is as basic as learning how to inflate balloons to a specific size, tying a duplet, twisting balloons into clusters, as well as the art of adding balloons to line or framework! Classic Balloon Décor is taught as part of the Qualatex Fundamentals course. Fundamentals is the balloon course for beginners, and it provides the grounding that retailers and decorators need before starting a business that includes professional balloon work. It is also taught as part of the QBN Program (Qualatex Balloon Network).


Striking Balloon Arches by Dianna Glandon, CBA, of Above the Rest Event Designs, 
Knoxville, TN , USA.

So what is Organic Décor?

Organic decor is best described as latex balloons that are styled to mimic the beauty in nature. When a piece has organically, or randomly, sized balloons placed throughout, it adds an elegance within the design that helps set the mood of an event space.

However, organic décor is not created by simply using a range of different sizes of balloons. It consists of  intentionally sized balloons that have been arranged to create a natural flow whilst also ensuring that the principles and elements of design have been applied to ensure that the design maintains rhythm, balance and harmony.

Balloon Decor by Sue Bowler of Balloon Art by Sue Bowler & Nicci Gibson of Balloon Bouquet Events

So is it actually true that there is a greater demand for organic décor, or is it that we are seeing more of it on social media and therefore are led to believe that it is more dominant?

I recently asked some of our QBN members if they are offering Classic Balloon décor more often than Organic Style Décor? Here are some of their responses:

Cindy Chait of Balloons N Beyond, LLC, USA, reports "I do more classic over organic; almost 2 to 1 classic vs organic."

"Corporate customers love Classic Decor!"  is the statement from Nina's Balloons, CBA, in Norwalk, California, USA.

Balloon Columns by Ninas Balloons

Kahla Sharp-Leggett of Altitude Balloon Décor in Naperville, IL, USA. "I love the classic style, and try to steer customers to it. Corporate clients prefer it."

Red, White and Blue Columns by Kahla Sharp-Leggett of Altitude Balloon Décor

"Classic can look fun and hip!"  suggests Rachel Porter, CBA, of Balloon Splendor of Mount Vernon, Washington, USA.

 

How fabulous is this balloon arch! Rachel describes it perfectly on her website.
 "Bright fun colors served as the entrance decor to an outdoor company picnic at the Microsoft campus. 6 colors in a well-disbursed pattern accented with small round balloons attached to long skinny balloons (balloon bauble accents) made the cold July day not seem so dreary."

 Bob Armstrong, CBA, of Doctor Bob's Balloons Unlimited in Barry, Wales. "We create the same amount of classic and organic. It’s good to offer both."

PRIDE Balloon Decor created by Doctor Bob's Balloons Unlimited
Bob uses Classic Décor to create these fabulous letters to spell out 'PRIDE' for an event in Cardiff, Wales.

Maria Alvarez of Balloon Decorations by Maria, in Los Angeles, California, USA says "I love classic décor. Too bad Customers prefer organic right now hopefully it will pass soon."

Classic Balloon decor is often described as being "Timeless", "fast to create, making it highly profitable", and as a balloon companies "bread and butter" work!

Reading the responses from some of our QBN members, it is apparent that many of them still prefer to offer classic over organic décor. This is mainly because their client base is more corporate-based, and that the classic style of Arches and Columns lend them better décor opportunities for corporate events. However, organic décor can be visually softer and often offers a sense of artistic creativity and elegant movement, which are usually better suited to more personal occasions such as birthdays and weddings! 

I know that there are a number of balloon companies, possibly those who have started ballooning more recently, who only offer organic décor, and equally there are some more established balloon businesses that only offer classic décor! In my opinion, I believe that both are missing out. Being able to offer both styles of decor makes a balloon business more appealing to clients. 

From my own personal experience, I like to mix both styles when decorating, especially corporate events. I love the crispness of classic décor, especially when it comes to building Balloon Walls and Columns. But equally, there is definitely a time and a place for offering organic decor too. 


I designed and created this 'Sculptured Column' for an event I decorated in 2019. The client  loved it so much that they ordered 12 for their forthcoming event later this year!

I love to create balloon walls, they make the perfect photo backdrop. Personally, I prefer the classic style wall compared to an organic balloon wall, however, each event is very different and therefore we should adapt our décor to suit the event and our clients needs. 




Here is a "Yin and Yang" Balloon Wall where I mixed a classic wall with an organic Garland, and I loved the end result!  

So which is your preference, classic or organic?

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @Suebowler

Thursday, July 19, 2012

How to design themed air-filled balloon centrepiece design - Christmas theme

I love designing centrepieces, I think that I have mentioned before that I prefer designing on a small scale rather than large scale... although, I think that it was Tope Abulude CBA who suggested treating all projects in 'bite sizes pieces' and just keep adding elements to create large scale decor, which I think is great advice!

It is time to for us to get creative and look at all the different ways we can create exciting designs & decor working with air-filled balloons rather than helium filled balloons for our forthcoming events. 

Before we can start to design our centrepiece designs we need to understand our clients needs and wants...

Sue Bowler
Design created by Sue Bowler CBA

THE CLIENT

Be professional and enthusiastic, it will give the client confidence in your ability to create a fantastic atmosphere at their event.

Find out as many details as possible regarding the event including: the venue, what the occasion is, previous decor and themes, anything that may help you in designing your centrepieces.
From the size of the event, the venue and the entertainment, you should be able to estimate approx. the size of budget that they should be prepared to  spend.
Take notes when you meet up with your clients, this will help you when you are putting together your quotation and shows your professionalism.



WORKING WITH A THEME

This is the perfect opportunity for 'thought showers'... let me show you what I mean!

We will use a very common theme CHRISTMAS, 'easy' I hear you say... or is it!

The first thing we need to do is break our theme down into different categories:

Traditional: Xmas trees * Snowmen * Father Christmas * Rudolph * Carol Singers * Holly * Wreaths * Candy Canes * Xmas Pudding * Xmas Stockings.
Traditional Religious: Angels, North Star, Candles
Modern: Boxes, Baubles, Lights, Crackers
Elegant: Stars, Snow, Snowflakes, presents, crackers, candles
I am sure that there are many more ideas and suggestions that you may have to add! 

Great, now we have worked out the different ways that Christmas can be interpreted from traditional through to elegant, we now need to consider the colours that we can associate with each of the categories 
 Traditional: Red, Green, Gold
 Traditional Religious: Gold, Blue, Green
 Modern: Purple, Gold, Silver, Red
 Elegant: Gold, Silver, White, Clear

The final part of this process is to put each element with the ideal colours:

REDFather Christmas/ Santa, Baubles, Christmas Stockings, Holly Berries, Candy Canes
Sue Bowler
This 'mood board' shows a range of 'Red' Qualatex balloons that depicts  'Traditional' Christmas.
GREEN: Christmas Trees, Holly, Wreathes...

Sue Bowler
This 'mood board' shows a range of 'Green' Qualatex balloons that depicts 'Traditional ' Christmas

GOLDStars, Boxes, Candles, Baubles

Sue Bowler
This 'mood board' shows a range of 'Gold' Qualatex balloons that depicts 'Elegant' Christmas.




I repeat this process until I have looked at all the elements and all the colours. I am really only looking for one or two ideas to interpret within my theme, working with the colours will really help with your selection.

Mood boards like the one's I have created above are a great way to show off your ideas to your clients, it truly shows your skills as a designer.

To see the full range of Qualatex Christmas & New Year 2012 balloons download the seasonal catalog now... click HERE to download the right version for your country.

US version



European version

THE DESIGN
Now I have all this information, I am able to present different ideas to my client that I know will excite and fulfil their needs!

Size Matters – The first thing to consider is the size of the table you’re working with. From large dining room tables, to folding banquet tables, to round tables, the size is going to dictate how much or how little space you have to work with, or fill up. Your centerpiece arrangement should be proportional to the size of the table. 

Don’t Be One-Sided – Remember your guests will be sitting all the way around the table so make sure your centrepiece is pretty from all angles. A design should only be front facing if you are positioning it on a front facing buffet table and in this instance this would be more of an arrangement than a centrepiece.
Height rules - remember the 14" centrepiece rule (can the guests see across the table)? You could create the most stunning design, however, if it obstructs the visual line and guests cannot see each other, you can bet that the centrepiece will be removed and sadly placed on the floor... I have seen it happen and often at balloon events!

Is it strong? - is your design strong, well constructed and easy to transport? Does is contain enough weight if you are attaching helium balloons to it?

Have you fulfilled your customers needs? - Have you created a design that excites your client?

Here are 2 air-filled centrepiece designs that could both be used for a Christmas theme party.... both very different!

Sue Bowler
Design 1.
Design 1. Traditional Christmas design
This design is made up of:

  • 17 x 5" Green balloons
  • 15 x 260Q Red balloons
  • 1 x Flower pot
  • small square of floral dry foam 
  • 5 x wood sticks (collected from my garden)
  • 2m Red satin ribbon
  • 30cm Red Wire (optional)
Sue Bowler

Just add up the cost of these materials... not very expensive I think you'll agree!

Sue Bowler
Design 2

Design 2. Modern Elegant
By contrast to Design 1, this design uses the 'new' Snowflakes Sparkles Blue... with a Holographic finish that adds a beautiful sparkle effect! This design would be suitable for an elegant Christmas event that wants something different from the more traditional Christmas decor.

This design was made up of:
9 x 5" Pearl Sapphire Blue balloons
9 x 5" Pearl Azure balloons
18 x 5" White balloons (I have used these to double stuff the Sapphire & Azure 5")
1 x 160Q Pearl Azure
1 x 160Q Pearl White
1 x 350Q White (to cover the black pole)
1 x Snowflakes Sparkles Blue #40089

Base and pole - I have used an IKEA 'Not' base and 2 sections of the pole, you could use Lomey or other alternatives, a long as they are heavy enough to be stable on a table.

Although I have used the theme Christmas for this blog, this same technique can be applied for any theme, and the two designs I have shown here can also be adapted to suit any theme, just by simply changing the balloon colours and the accessories.

Qualatex Christmas Business  Booster

Have you checked out the latest Qualatex Business Booster filled with some truly inspiring ideas for Christmas!
Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas... certainly not! Take this opportunity to be prepared and show your customer your range of exciting design ideas for Christmas... even without helium you can make fantastic decor with great impact!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com