Branding

Branding is the activity of strategically building / managing the brand image of a company or product. It unifies visual / verbal elements such as the logo, colors, fonts, and tone and style, and provides a consistent experience that stays in customers' memories.

QR codes tend to be a blind spot in branding. Although great care is taken over the design of websites and advertising, the QR code alone is often left in its standard black-and-white design. Yet the QR code is a touchpoint that customers actually reach out to and operate, and it is part of the brand experience.

Ways to design a QR code that fits the brand include customizations such as applying corporate colors (changing the module colors), placing the logo in the center (achieved with error correction level H), adding a frame or label (a border with CTA text), and modules with rounded corners or dot shapes. If you manage these as a unified template, you can maintain consistent brand expression even across different departments and media.

The balance between branding and scanning accuracy is also important. Excessive design customization leads to lower contrast and deformed modules, which cause scan failures. It is recommended to include QR code design rules in the brand guidelines and to make the permissible range of customization clear in advance.