Replicating products into giant inflatables creates a sense of fun! Taking an item you can hold in your hand and scaling it leads to a pretty compelling result, and adds something memorable to your event.
We get many clients envisioning these inflatable replicas to act as unique “selfie opportunities” for social media and also for event highlight photos. We believe it is evident from our photo gallery that these inflatables make a big statement; something that a smaller inflatable, or a simple advertising banner, would not be able to achieve.
Starting The Custom Inflatable Process
A majority of our orders come from customers who have never designed a custom inflatable before, so quite often the first thing we get asked is "Where do we start?". To give you an idea, we'll go through a real life example with you.
This particular client contacted us looking for some large custom inflatable bottles to work as a feature piece for upcoming summer events and beyond. The goal was to replicate a normal Pure Blonde bottle into a giant inflatable bottle at a high level of realism.
The final inflatable beer bottles would be potentially used on days where it might be windy at events like fun runs and other similar activations. This presented our team with a range of challenges to work through, including: access to constant power and wind resistance.
Designing A Giant Inflatable Beer Bottle From Scratch
We obtained a glass bottle (for business purposes only of course) and got to work. We first took a range of measurements and images to assist in creating a digital foundation of the shape, and then scaled up the original label design. Even smaller details like the shape of the lid, and the fine print on the labels that no one typically reads, were all reflected in the giant inflatable bottle designs. We find paying attention to these details gives the final product a more authentic look.
Expectations were set regarding the lifespan of the product and advice on care and safety were also outlined with a strong approach; these inflatables in the wrong hands could hurt someone. After the initial shape was agreed on and the expectations by both parties were mutually appreciated, we moved to fine tuning the artwork. This led us to the first steps to producing the inflatables.
From Concept To Completion
From start to finish, this project took around 7 weeks to complete. To give you an idea on how this went down, we have broken down the steps taken from concept to completion:
Week 1
- Initial call and consultation
- Getting a brief together
- Initial costings given and artwork files to support brief
Week 2+3
- Initial 3D design created
- Label art from marketing supplied
- Design tweaked as required
- Invoice finalised and payment made
- Final design approved.
Week 4+5
- Production of inflatable bottle begins
- Materials printed (where required)
- Stock material cut to meet template requirements
- Materials sewn and welded based on client’s required needs
- Initial testing
Week 6
- Final tweaks and testing
- Product shipped from production facility
Week 7
- We double checked everything and performed final testing, including the inflatable and blowers
- The completed product is then ready to be dispatched to the client.
Can There Be Setbacks?
There were some initial challenges locating the label artwork, which is something to be mindful of, especially if you are on a tight deadline. Ensuring you have the correct files to print at this scale is important, so that you get the best print results.
Material samples and colour samples can also be an important, but time consuming process. For our Pure Blonde client, a colour sample was requested to compare the colour of the green PVC against the colour of the real item. It worked out favourably in this case, but it only proves the importance of samples as not everyone will be satisfied with the differences in colour. When it comes to printing at least, we use pantone colour matching to get the closest possible match.
How The Inflatables Turned Out
These inflatable beer bottles have now been in use for over 3 years and are serving the client well, creating a show stopping addition at their events. A great replication of a well known product; there’s no denying what it is!
We deliver our custom inflatable bottles Australia wide. Are you looking for one? Get in touch today!
