Want to learn how to create a balloon arch design? This article walks through the different types of professional balloon arches… and how to approach them.
Hey there! I’m Hanna, I’ve worked as a balloon artist and now blog about all things party to help teach others how to succeed… while running my local yard card business. I’ll never forget my family’s confusion when I told them I quit my full-time job as a project manager working in tech to become a balloon designer.
Hey, Balloon Biz Babes!
Balloon arches are a great way to spice up any party, whether you’re building your own balloon arch for a party at home or charging a delivery fee to create your first custom design. Where are balloon decorations even useful?! Ummm… everywhere. I’ve worked corporate events, birthday parties, a lot of sweet baby showers, added dance floor décor for weddings, spiced up a neon sign for grand openings… the sky is the limit.
Let’s walk through the different popular designs of balloon arches!
I didn’t realize when I first got started, that an organic balloon garland was my specialty. Primarily, I used latex balloon colors in varying balloon sizes. I would tell my sweet employees who worked at my local children’s clothing store that “balloons are abstract, you can’t mess them up”… but DON’T make them egg-shaped!
An organic balloon garland is characterized by:
Various sizes of balloons (I liked to use a minimum of 3 size variations for my organic garlands)
Color schemes tend to be a bit less mathematical in an organic balloon arch. You either: color block OR variegate the balloons in a mostly even way for each of the different sizes OR make them all the same color. When creating an organic balloon garland you can use glue dots to create dimension. I only recommend this if the installation is indoors.
A classic balloon column:
These are typically made of latex balloons, but can sometimes be made entirely of foil balloons as well.
I love a balloon column for an outdoor event. There are fewer points of contact. They’re also easier to use for a mechanical weighted installation.
In terms of colors, balloon columns are great because the colors are mathematical and have the potential to create a really gratifying spiral design.
Balloon Walls:
Balloon walls ALWAYS kicked my butt. You want to create base garlands using only quads to make the square or rectangle you’re aiming to cover.
Once you’ve done that portion, add extras to fill in the gaps. For me personally (and my OCD) I think it was typically most frustrating that I felt like the design was being pulled in an opposite direction everywhere I looked without having a clear flow.
Rainbow Balloon Arch:
These are really popular and I LOVED how they look once complete. You want to use your rainbow colors in the same pattern to create a minimum of 3 base garlands of quads to be correct- according to the colors of the rainbow.
Personally, I would typically create rainbows with 4 colors and they looked really cute. I would start with small balloons on the inner layer and work to larger balloons on the outer layer, when possible. What’s most important, to me, is to add organic quads with varying-sized white balloons to cap the balloon design with fluffy clouds!
Custom Balloon Arch Design:
There are a lot of custom balloon designs out there. They’re painstaking but also sometimes really gratifying when they’re done. A few of my favorites are:
- Balloon Bouquets (I liked to call some of these “air hugs”)
- Spider
- Witches Brew
- Mosaic balloon letters or numbers
- Hula Hoop Happy
- Christmas Wreaths
- Cactus (sometimes I’m feeling prickly, what can I say)
The options are really endless. I’ll do my best to add information on how to create additional balloon designs as I continue sharing more about my balloon artist journey. 🙂
Factors to be aware of when creating any balloon arch:
Weather conditions. The weather really affects a balloon arch, and you want the base to be as strong as possible. This is why I rarely use a balloon strip and primarily double-knot every aspect of my balloon garlands when possible.
Where and how do you have to hang your garland when setting up? Here’s a quick article I wrote about how to hang party decor like a pro that really dives into the various places you might need to hang and the best tools to do so efficiently.
Tools you’ll need to create any balloon garland:
- An air pump / electric balloon pump
- Balloons
- Something for your base: some use fishing lines, personally I prefer to use 260 balloons– the long, balloon animal balloons.
- Whatever you need to hang the garland (if you’re hanging it)
Truly, that’s it.
It’s why I recommend a balloon business to anyone who wants to build a “little” side hustle. My best friend and I accidentally turned our great idea of a balloon business into nearly 6 figure companies (in two totally different economies in the southern United States) before totally burning out.
You advertise your business on social media, learn on the fly practicing at the next event you’re attending, and the next thing you know you’re a full-blown balloon designer!
It’s really an incredible process that I’m thankful to have experienced as a young mother seeking self-employment during COVID-19.
Thanks for stopping by to check out Easiest Party Ever! 🫶
I’m a girl mom, former balloon artist, and wife who found myself as a serial entrepreneur in the party business niche. You can learn more about how I started my balloon business in my small town of 12,000 people and scaled it to a 6 figure company here. You can check out my Yard Card business here.
Want to learn more about the digital products and courses I create for other entrepreneurs to succeed? Check out my shop! I’m constantly working on creating valuable information for anyone who wants to start and scale a business from the ground up.
