I've seen references to making a visual menu for line work here. I am considering a couple options, but I know that at this point in my ballooning career, I need one. I cannot freehand draw worth a darn, so I am thinking of just a word listing for now. Also, I want to add to it as my repertoire grows.

Right now the plan is a simple dry erase board made to stand up. What are some other methods that have worked for you seasoned vets of line work?

I took a picture of everything I make, put the pics on a word document covering 2/3 the page. The other 1/3rd is my ad talking about how I do birthday parties and my phone number. I print a stack of them and encourage people to pass the menus back thru the line so everyone can see their options. Having the pics allows people to take one with them and remember why they want to hire me for another event.

Plus I will got thru and change the items on the menu based on the venue, them of the festival or if I just want to ad a new design.

Learn as many sculptures as possible. when you are asked make something that incorporated it. I'm up to nearly 130 different designs.

I think that the construction of your menu is determined by the purpose of your twisting. For me most of the line work I do, at festivals and the like, is for tips. Because of this I have three small whiteboards with the balloons I will twist WRITTEN on them and a "recommended tip" not so subtly mentioned alongside. The reason I do this is because I can change my menu easily and can thus adapt to the conditions (e.g. if I am jam packed then I can change the menus to offer very quick and easy models while if I am not quite so busy I can adjust the menu to reflect a more impressive range of options).... the other reason the menus are written is that is forces parents of many children to accompany their child to read from the list... that way I manage to give all parents my business card, parents read the "recommended tip" ( and usually comply nicely) and it reduces the number of children sent forward without parents but with a hand full of change... ( I actually refuse to make balloons for kids without parents, I explain that I am not allowed to give balloons away unless a parent or guardian is with the kid for fear of "latex allergies"... invariably the kid goes and gets their adult and I thus avoid being a baysitter and hacking off parents who don't actually want their wayward children to have a balloon).

Down sides to the dry erase boards are... sticky fingers; smaller children tend to point actually ON the board and thus wipe the board on occasion.
Rain... but if it rains I'll be looking for shelter anyway.

If I wasn't working for tips then a photo menu would work... I like the idea of a manu that parents can take home with them ( must cost a bit in printing though).

tom

If I'm not strolling, I use a large menu board with pictures pasted on it. I have the board laminated at Staples, (about $5.) Half of my board consists of hats because they are the most visible when worn and induces others to come around. Since I'm doing line work at that point, I want to make as many as possible in an hour, so the figures are quick to make, even though they may not look it. (Plays big, packs small idea.) Mark's Bad to the Balloon has a lot of good ideas on it for this. I use the same twists if I'm strolling, but without the board.

"I like the idea of a manu that parents can take home with them ( must cost a bit in printing though)"

No I just print them in black and white on a laser printer so it costs me next to nothing.

I have been pretty lucky in the fact that most of the parents are with their kids in the line and a lot of time the ones that aren't with their kids will give them money for tips, or even send the kids back with money for tips after they see the balloons I made them.

After doing line work (usually charging for the balloons, not tips) for 14 years, I decided to do everything on magnetic sheets and I painted my board with magnetic paint. Got tired of trying dry erase and having the kids rub it off with their tiny little fingers. Pictures also aren't a great idea, since the parents/grandparents just say, "pick what you want", as little Timmy walks up and just starts waving his finger all over the board at everything. Make 'em READ. I also had a piece of clear plexi cut that fits inside the frame of my board to keep the little jokers from trying to walk away with the signage.

Steve

I only use a menu when the volume of children is not compatible with the hours for which I was booked. I use the menu to limit their choices to things that will take less than 2 minutes. I just type what I feel like making that day and but it in an insert.

When I'm not using a list (98% of the time) I say, "My name is Jeff, I'm the balloon guy, and I can make ANYTHING!"

Eventually I hope to be the balloon guy who can make anything, but for now, I need to set some parameters for my memory, and work up.

Thanks for all the input folks. It's a help.

Well, that's the other option, make a list, but print it in small font and laminate it and attach it to your apron. Then it's only for your use as a reminder of what you can do.

A couple of clever ideas: http://www.beckysballoonanimals.com/id2.html

and here http://twistedchicken.blogspot.com/2009/......enu.html

buy stickers here and make a sign http://www.tmyers.com/tip/poster.html

more info here ( lots more info!) http://www.balloonhq.com/faq/twister_cro......ml#menus

My menu is simple but effective for what I do.
I do balloon twisting on the street, usually with just a few children waiting. My main purpose is a short Magic Show so I don't want my balloons being too elaborate and I usually work to one-balloon models. I use a cheap 6x4 photo album with about 14 pages. I take photos of my balloon models on my digital camera. I get real photos made off of them to insert into the album. The text in the album is laser printed from my own word processing.
The transparent cover of the album currently reads "Pick a Balloon Shape" and in one corner I have my business card. When the album is opened, the first page reads '$2 suggested donation'. That sets up the idea of giving a donation. Then I have the following photos on a page each, each labeled with a word down near the bottom: sword, hat, bee, dog, giraffe, rabbit, flower. That's enough choice for on the street, I reckon. In case people open the album up at the back the back two pages read "Suggested donation $2" and "Pick a Balloon Shape". I keep a few business cards in one of the empty pages.
The menu means children can see what is on offer, rather than just hearing words - many of the kids are around the 4- 5 year age. Passing out the menu means also the waiting mums and dads and children have something to do while waiting.
I spent over a year not using a printed menu, just saying what I made, and I prefer the menu approach for me and them.

The only place I would ever consider having a menu is for school functions. For these I keep the sculptures to a maximum of three balloons. Even with the cap the menu would be extremely large. When I busk I would rather make the $10.00 sculptures in most cases (not on extremely busy days) as this builds a crowd and shows off what can be done and also books a lot of shows for me.

For those that use a menu don't you find that most children will get the same thing as they have seen others have?