QR codes: The simple Do's and Don'ts

What the is a QR code? If you are asking this question or have QR has come up with your media team recently these tools are for you.

<< You see these strange images everywhere these days.

This my friend is a QR code. It is meant to take your audience from your direct mail, poster campaign or other PRINT media online. These codes are scanned by smartphones with QR readers and it will take them to the web page associated with this image (each one is unique). This means when someone sees your poster and scans the code, traffic will be sent to your site which can be tracked with online analytic tools like Google Analytics, or simply take people to more information leaving you to make a simpler, less cluttered poster -which is always a good idea.

I recently found this article on  4 QR Code Tools That’ll Make You Like QR Codes that outlined a lot of the tools I use to make QR codes, especially Kaywa. It's encouraging to see QR codes used properly, because often times they are not. The problem is designers don't seem to understand either how smart phones work, or when it is appropriate to use these codes. So experts and noobs alike, I would strongly recommend getting educated on where and when it is a good idea to use these codes before you start sticking them everywhere, starting with 8 ways NOT to use QR codes.

Love to hear stories about misused QR codes or hear about more tools, feel free to comment away.