The QR code has seen a massive surge in popularity as marketers use these marks to drive consumers from print ads to an online landing page. The drawback in the past has been that QR codes are plain, even an eyesore to the design of a project. Today, though, plenty of designers are proving that QR codes do not have to be boring. The challenge is balancing the design goals with recognition by consumers. If you do too much with the design, it becomes difficult to tell that you’re even looking at a QR Code. And if consumers don’t recognize the design, they’re simply not going to scan it.

The following designs show just how creative you can get with a QR Code. The majority of the codes included below actually work when scanned. The other, non-functional ones in this collection are just for an added inspirational kick.