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Is This The Apple of QR Bar Codes?
If you are a regular CN reader, you know that I’ve been a big fan of QR codes since the early days…way before they became closer to mainstream as they are today. Most recently NYC has placed QR codes on all building permits to make the process of gathering up-to-date info quick and easy. Two years ago I suggested that QR codes would become a huge business – sadly it’s taking longer than I anticipated. If you are new to QR codes, check out how McDonalds in Japan uses QR codes to recruit new employees.
One of the downsides to QR codes is that they are kind of ugly – there’s no design elements involved — just a bunch of lines and dots. Microsoft created their 2D barcode technology named Tag — it’s more colorful but still lacks any brand presence and/or design.
Web developer David Szotten had an idea to add a bit of color, branding and design to QR 2D barcodes. Above you can see an example of a QR code that has been converted using his Pretty QR application. David allows you to add a dash of color along with a logo – now that’s hot!
From a brand marketer’s perspective, this is a great upgrade from the standard QR code. Instead of having to put the branding around the code, you can insert it directly into the code. It also makes the QR code more attractive – and with the right logo in there, it could be the Apple of QR codes.
You can download the application here – it’s written in Python. It’s important to note that the logo may remove some of the functionality of the code, so it’s critical that you test the code if you plan to use David’s application.
All the QR codes referenced above scanned with my Android barcode reader. I did notice that they took a little longer to be recognized. I believe the problem with these ‘designer’ QR codes is that they take advantage of the error-correcting ability of the QR specification, and thus there is less room for not capturing every pixel of the remaining barcode.
SET “invented” the designer QR code several years ago now. We created one of the most famous branded codes for Louis Vuitton and have continued to push the boundaries ever since helping brands to get their codes looking like part of the campaign rather than just an ugly add-on. Take a look at some of the case studies online here ::
http://setqr.com/en-US/case-studies/
Greg, I will say that the Louis Vuitton QR code that your company created is much better looking than average. But just like the example posted in this article, I attempted to scan it using 2 different QR code readers on my iPhone and both failed to recognize it. I experienced similar problems with a few others shown on your case studies page.
What good is a pretty design if you sacrifice the basic functionality?
Apparently the author of the application has not taken his own advice, because the example Pretty QR code is not recognized by my iPhone. That doesn’t give me much confidence and while it does look better, I still find the Pretty QR to be rather ugly.