Stunning QR Codes that Prove Usability Does Not Equal Boring

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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.

Lisa Frank Inspired

Lisa Frank Inspired example of QR code

Zipper

Zipper example of QR code

Corkbin

Corkbin example of QR codes

Rainbow

Rainbow example of QR codes

Brainy

Brainy example of QR codes

Coffee

Coffee inspirational QR code

Help Japan Now

Help Japan Now inspirational QR code

Farmville

Farmville inspirational QR code

M&MS

M&MS inspirational QR code

Ghost Busters

Ghost Busters inspirational QR code

Skater

Skater beautiful QR code example

Penquin Graffiti

Penquin Graffiti beautiful QR code example

Chinese

Chinese beautiful QR code example

BQ

BQ beautiful QR code example

School Of Rock

School Of Rock beautiful QR code example

Pacman

Pacman designed QR code for functionality

Batman

Batman designed QR code for functionality

Preggo

Preggo designed QR code for functionality

Chopsticks

Chopsticks designed QR code for functionality

Dice

Dice designed QR code for functionality

Oreos

Oreos QR code inspirationally designed

Superman

Superman QR code inspirationally designed

Photo Manipulated

Photo Manipulated QR code inspirationally designed

Disney

Disney QR code inspirationally designed

The Wine Sisterhood

The Wine Sisterhood QR code inspirationally designed

TIME

TIME QR code inspirationally designed

Cutout

Cutout QR code inspirationally designed

SandCastle

SandCastle QR codes inspirationally designed

Landscaping

Landscaping QR codes inspirationally designed

Jet Blue

Jet Blue QR code inspirationally designed

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Tara Hornor loves writing about marketing, web and graphic design inspiration, and photography. She is a Senior Editor for Creative Content Experts, a copywriting company that she started with her husband. Connect with @TaraHornor for more design inspiration and marketing help.

Comments

  • Sarah Bauer

    Cool examples. Proper usage + engaging design = potential for QR codes to really make an impact in the consumer landscape. So how to ensure that companies implement QR code marketing at the right time in their strategy ( as in, when they have the appropriate landing page/ mobile presence to fit the lead in)?

    Cheers,
    Sarah Bauer
    Navigator Multimedia