tassells

Just what is a QR code anyway?

We have all seen the ‘funny little squares’ that are appearing on more and more marketing materials - but to the opening question should be added, how can they be used for business?

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) were first created by a subsidiary of Toyota - Denso Wave - in 1994, to enable them to track vehicles through their factory during the manufacturing process. They are similar to barcodes used on packaging to keep track of stock and to price products. The main difference between the two is the huge amount of data a QR code can hold.

QR codes can carry more than just a web address. A smartphone equipped with a QR code reading app - available for free - can take your audience to your website, online photo gallery, reveal your business card or push their phone to dial your number.

They can be scanned directly from printed materials as well as on screen - which make them ideal for use on digital installations and PDFs, as well as on signage.

How are they made?
The good news is that simple QR codes can be created for free - as Denso Wave didn’t exercise their right to copyright the idea. In the spirit of the original concept, it is important that QR codes should continue to be based on free access. In this way the codes will become more widely used - benefiting businesses globally.

There are many free online resources for generating your own QR codes - Google have their own QR code generator which can be found by clicking this link.

Is it all black and White?
From the outset, QR codes were designed to allow for up to 30% error correction. This built in ‘error correction’ was to allow the codes still to be read
even when poorly printed or affected by the conditions in which they were used.

At Tassell Design, we have been researching utilising the ‘error correction’ to enable us to introduce both graphics and colour whilst retaining the QR codes usability.
By doing this your business can develop QR codes that stand out, and can become integral to a marketing campaign rather than just as an add on.

The possibilities are endless for the codes - and the scale they can be used is astounding. QR codes have started to be introduced onto the roof tops of buildings - with the intention of them appearing on Google Maps. This is an interesting development in property marketing, however putting them on a building is best for companies in no great hurry as It takes about a year for the code to show up on line - and Google can blur the codes if they choose to do so!