What’s more important… The envelope or the letter inside? The power switch or the luminescence of the chandelier? The wind-up key or the song of the music box? The QR code or the content to which it links?
Recently, a lengthy discussion played out in a LinkedIn group focused on QR code usage, on the topic of “designer QR codes.” There was much banter about adding logos, changing colors and imposing unique designs on these functional codes. Many people chimed in about design innovations and what adding graphics might do to the ability to scan codes. And so on. And so on.
Though I love to match my purse to my shoes, I’m really not too worried about coordinating my QR codes with my overall branding. As new as QR code use is in our U.S. marketing scene, I won’t dare compromise the scanability of a code by adding a logo to the center or some such thing.
Fussing over the look of the code is such an unnecessary diversion from the meaningful purpose of QR codes. It’s like fixating on the light switch rather than polishing the crystals and putting new bulbs in the chandelier. The priority should be the content to which the QR code links. Are we sending consumers to useful digital information? Or are we boring them with scans that go to lifeless content not optimized for viewing on mobile devices? Rather than worry about a designer code, I’ll focus on making sure my content is ready for its close up.
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