In the same way that bar codes don’t have to be boring, quick response codes can also be creative. Thanks to a 30% tolerance in readability, you can have some real fun with clever designs. Besides looking good, this can also make them more successful.

“Designer QR codes are not only a way to make your 2D barcode stand out, but they also add a more human element to the otherwise cold and techie appearance,” says Patrick Donnelly, QR code designer and expert. “This could be the difference between someone scanning your code or not.”

Take a look through the image gallery for 15 brilliant designs created for a range of businesses from big names such as Disney, little names such as local restaurants and even conceptual ideas. Let us know in the comments if a clever design would make you more likely to scan a code.

Click on each image to see larger.

Matthias Galica is CEO of ShareSquare, the leading platform for connecting offline audiences to the brands they love via QR codes and custom HTML5 mobile web apps with real-time analytics.

Consumer-facing QR codes are hitting mainstream America hard this summer. Despite the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats, many well-intentioned marketers are crippling their campaigns with simple mistakes.

This is a big reason why QR codes still get a bad rap from some folks. QR codes by themselves are fundamentally neither good nor bad, they’re just a means to an end: an offline-to-online delivery mechanism. It’s what’s beyond the code that usually determines whether the experience will delight or disappoint.

Unfortunately, many early adopter marketers aren’t yet fully versed in the best practices or optimal use cases. It’s the adventurous consumer that suffers from the growing pains.

Since I’ve spent the past 18 months waist-deep in this fast-developing market, I’m compelled to offer up my short list of basic mistakes to avoid at all costs. While heeding all these rules won’t make your QR code marketing great by itself, they will likely save you from some embarrassment.

Mistake 1: Not Testing the Code

Common sense right? Until you’re able to read a QR code just by looking at it, you should always test the proofs with a variety of smartphones and scanning apps before you release a campaign.

This is the simplest way to spot scanning problems. For instance, a small placement (less than an inch) will often be too dense to scan if you’ve encoded a longer URL, but using bit.ly or goo.gl to automatically generate a short URL QR code is an easy fix.

Since QR codes feature up to a 30% error correction rate, there’s flexibility for creative branding and tweaks. But if the designer accidentally overdid it, test-scanning is an easy path to being the office hero that day.

For example, the above image is taken from “15 Beautiful and Creative QR codes.” While visually interesting, I’m fairly confident this isn’t scanable.

Mistake 2: Getting Too Fancy With Text

If your goal is to get people to a mobile web experience, you should only ever encode a short URL. Don’t include any plain text, since many barcode scanners (even gold standards like ShopSavvy) won’t tease out the link. If you’re hoping a user will copy/paste on a mobile device, don’t bet on it.

Think of the QR code as a physical hyperlink that every barcode scanner should be able to immediately “click.” If your QR code requires the user to do much more than point and scan to arrive at the intended content, you’re probably doing it wrong.

Take the image above. I love the Olsen twins as much as the next guy, but these QR codes result in the oft-problematic text string + link combo. Fail bonus: The site consistently turns up invalid security certificate errors.

Mistake 3: Serving up Non-Mobile Pages

Your QR code scans successfully but you’ve pointed the user to a standard desktop website, when 99.9% of QR codes are scanned by a mobile device. Fail.

Get acquainted with HTML5 to give your mobile web app that native app feel. You can either hire a developer to build your mobile site or use a non-technical modular CMS (content management system) like Paperlinks if it suits your campaign objectives.

This Coca-Cola QR code’s heart is in the right place (the MyCokeRewards program) but the resulting non-mobile website is all but impossible to navigate.

Mistake 4: Putting QR Codes Where There’s No Data Signal

Where your ad will run is just as important as how you implement it.

Tesco’s recent QR code “grocery store” in a Korean subway worked great because those platforms have Wi-Fi. This is not the case in the U.S. Placing QR codes in locations without Internet access is a sure way to make your audience upset. Make sure you know where the ads will be, and if possible, run tests to make sure they are visible and will still work.

For example, the Red Bull campaign QR code above was in a New York City subway, so I have no idea what it does.

Mistake 5: Not Offering Enough Value

This point is highly subjective but also probably the most important. The proper mindset is to reward the user for scanning your QR code. This “reward,” however, will change depending on what you’re trying to promote.

Try to avoid redundancy (a digital copy of your flyer), irrelevance or dullness (your company’s street address). Take the above image. The U.S. Marine Corps. QR code promises a cool experience but instead leads to a wallpaper download and a commercial.

When coupled with a clearly articulated call-to-action near the QR code, we’ve found the most compelling campaigns tend to offer one or more of the following:

• Exclusive rich media, videos and photos
• Exclusive or time-sensitive access
• Free downloads or swag
• “Instant Win” contests
• Special offers, coupons or gifts
• “Secret” information
• Deep integration with social media to activate viral loops

The best advice is to put yourself in the shoes of your target fan. Would you bother pulling out the phone for your campaign? Would you be happy with the pay off? A little bit of time and thought can create a truly successful QR campaign.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, leezsnow

If you need a flyer designed, a logo made or a website programmed CQ’s graphic design service can assist. We have an in-house designer but also work with specialists in website programming, multimedia creation and photography in order to provide you with the best skills in the business.

Design
Our designers are trained on a wide variety of programs (both Mac and PC based). They are available to prepare your next brochure, design your company logo and turn your ideas into reality.

Multimedia
From a powerful Powerpoint™ slideshow all the way through to an interactive product portfolio CD-Rom, our multimedia contractors have done it all and have the awards to show for it.

Photography
Our photographer has a full digital studio setup that will allow quick product photos to be taken for incorporation into your brochure or website.

Image Library
We have a large image library with stock photos and clipart to help you create that professional and stylish presentation. 

When you visit our designers feel free to ask about this library as it’s a great tool to use as inspiration for a design brief.

Until recently most people did not look at business cards as interactive elements that can be made of different materials, textures and shapes, going far beyond what most people consider as standard practice.  Lets take a look at 50 extremely creative and original business cards and design tutorials that really help push the boundaries and show the extent some people go to set themselves apart in this competitive marketplace.

Chef Burger

Creative Business Cards — Chef Burger

Plastic Business Cards – Lined Paper

Creative Business Cards – Plastic Business Cards – Lined Paper

Interrobang Design

Interrobang Design

NetPlus ID

Creative Business Cards – NetPlus ID

Rumble

Creative Business Cards – Rumble

Couples Therapist Card

Creative Business Cards – Couples Therapist

Orderin.Ca

Creative Business Cards – Orderin.Ca

Accentuate

Creative Business Cards – Accentuate

The Photography of Nathan Jones

Creative Business Cards – The Photography of Nathan Jones

Reflections Dental Care

Creative Business Cards – Reflections Dental Care

Joanne Foltran

Creative Business Cards – Joanne Foltran

Blue Bird Design

Creative Business Cards – Blue Bird Design

Nation Builder Pop Up

Creative Business Cards – Nation Builder Pop Up

Edible Business Card – Head Hunter

Creative Business Cards – Edible Card – Headhunter

Chris Colhoun

Creative Business Cards – Chris Colhoun

Sandrine Abraham – Du Bout Des Yeux

Creative Business Cards – Sandrine Abraham – Du Bout Des Yeux

Corvus Design Studio

Creative Business Cards – Corvus Design Studio

Stretchable Personal Trainer Card

Creative Business Cards – Stretchable Personal Trainer Card

Impact Ideas

Creative Business Cards – Impact Ideas

DreamTen

Creative Business Cards – DreamTen

Chuck Tingley

Creative Business Cards – Chuck Tingley

Richard E. Smith Circles

Creative Business Cards – Richard E. Smith Circles

Artams

Creative Business Cards – Artams

Taste Chocolate

Creative Business Cards – Taste Chocolate

Retro Sports Inspired Business Cards

Creative Business Cards – Retro Sports Inspired Business Card

Blooming Designer

Creative Business Cards – Blooming Designer

Egil Paulson Easel Card

Creative Business Cards – Egil Paulson Easel Card

X3 Studios

Creative Business Cards – X3 Studios

Mineral Spring Water

Creative Business Cards – Mineral Spring Water

Dallas Laser Printing

Creative Business Cards – Dallas Laser Printing

Matilda Jane

Creative Business Cards – Matilda Jane

Becka Viau

Creative Business Cards – Becka Viau

Digitopolis

Creative Business Cards – Digitopolis

Mattson Creative

Creative Business Cards – Mattson Creative

Jared Andrew Schorr

Creative Business Cards – Jared Andrew Schorr

Emerson Taymor Pop Up

Creative Business Cards – Emerson Taymor Pop Up

Mark Ramadan

Creative Business Cards – Mark Ramadan

Genie Alisa

Creative Business Cards – Genie Alisa

Mix Tape Generation

Creative Business Cards – Mix Tape Generation

e Aqua

Creative Business Cards – e Aqua

Wedding Television

Creative Business Cards – Wedding Television

Colorburned

Creative Business Cards – Colorburned

Ben Webster

Creative Business Cards – Ben Webster

Max Steiner – Everyday Hero

Creative Business Cards – Max Steiner – Everyday Hero

The Alembic

Creative Business Cards – The Alembic

Tutorials

Making a Print-Ready Business Card Using Only Photoshop

Business Card Tutorial

Design a Print Ready Business Card for Designers

Business Card Tutorial

Making a grungy business card

Making a Grungy Business Card

Design an Abstract Business Card

Business Card Tutorial

Creating a new Web 2.0 Business Card

Creating a new Web 2.0 Business Card

Seen a font in use and want to know what it is?

Submit an image to WhatTheFont to find the closest matches in their database.

It’s a great tool for designers.

They even have an iPhone app! Ever seen a great font in a magazine ad, poster, or on the web and wondered what font it is? Whip out your iPhone and snap a photo, and WhatTheFont for iPhone will identify that font in seconds! Features Snap a photo right within the app Choose saved photos from the Photo Library In-phone image processing optimizes upload for speed and accuracy View font details in Safari or e-mail a link to yourself

More and more business people are looking to import business card information into their databases. So until bar-coding like QR Codes and Microsoft Tags become a standard feature on business cards, people are using some form of business card scanner with OCR technology.

Whether with an OCR mobile app (see below) or a flatbed scanner, OCR can drastically simplify the process of transferring contacts from paper to your contact management database.

But even the best OCR business card reader technology has limitations.

Cards with certain design features simply don’t scan well. And as scanning becomes more common, this is something that business card designers should keep in mind if they don’t want to use bar-coding. That contact was important enough for you to give your business card to; you need to make sure you make it easy for them to accurately add you to their contacts list.

So here are some helpful hints for creating a scannable business card.

Don’t:

• Use fancy fonts. These easily confuse OCR software, especially on letters like “c” and “e”. A clean font like Helvetica may seem boring, but it is easy for OCR to translate.
• Combine your name and title. Names and titles separated by a comma on a single line (such as “Nancy Nally, Editor”) don’t translate correctly in OCR.
• Overlay text on a pattern. This is too confusing for OCR.
• Angle text. Currently OCR scanning doesn’t translate text that isn’t parallel to the edges of the card.
• Mix orientations. Keep all the text oriented in the same direction.

Do:

• Keep it big. If you get squinty looking at your card, so will OCR software.
• Give text breathing room. Keep letters nicely spaced so that the OCR can distinguish them easily from each other.
• Keep it light. Cards with dark backgrounds seem impossible to scan (even those with high-contrast white text).
• Put your company name somewhere in text. OCR can’t translate stylised logos, so make sure the company’s name is in text somewhere too.
• Keep it on one side. Scanners only read one side of a card, so keep all the critical contact information on one side.

This last issue is a very common problem with many cards. Double-sided printing is becoming very “trendy” which creates the temptation to spread the critical contact information on both sides of the card, making it inaccessible to card reading technology.

Ideally, you should have contact information on only one side of the card, and then use the other side for a logo or mini sales brochure. Here at CQ we have the ability to print a different back on each card in a set, offering the ability to get very creative with a card back’s promotional uses. Meanwhile, the front of the card can hold all of the traditional contact information in a clean and simple (scannable) format.

The sheets are available already perforated and creased.

They’re then printed full colour on both sides and the edges trimmed.

The perforations are punched out and creases folded.

A bit of double sided tape and Voila! Ready to hold a CD!

So high quality CD cases can now be made very quickly. For a quote email Viviana on quotes@cq.co.nz 

Other pre-cut products will be coming soon, so stay tuned! 

Do you need to convince a customer to complete an application form? Or, for a non-profit, do you need volunteers for a charity event? In both cases, you will be more successful if you describe the task in a simple, easy to read typeface.

Research by Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz shows that the way we perceive information can be affected dramatically by how simple or complex the font is. In particular, their work found that a simple font was more likely to get the readers to make a commitment. Here’s the whole story…

The researchers expected that getting people to commit to an exercise regimen would depend on how long they thought the workout would take. A longer estimated time would be a bigger commitment, and people would be less likely to sign up. That’s all simple logic, but Song and Schwarz decided to test two groups of subjects. The first group saw the exercises described in a simple font (Arial), while the second group saw the exact same text presented in a harder to read font, Brush.

The results were astounding – the subjects who read the same instructions in the hard to read font estimated that the regimen would take nearly twice as long, 15.1 minutes vs. 8.2 minutes. Needless to say, the group that thought the exercise would take only 8 minutes was significantly more likely to commit to the regimen. (See If It’s Hard to Read, It’s Hard to Do – Processing Fluency Affects Effort Prediction and Motivation.)

Song and Schwarz performed a similar experiment involving a sushi recipe. Subjects who saw the instructions in Arial estimated that preparation would take 5.6 minutes, while those who read the directions in Mistral, a more complicated font, expect it to take 9.3 minutes.

The clear Neuromarketing takeaway is that if you need to convince a customer, client, or donor to perform some kind of task, you should describe that task in a simple, easy to read font. Since this phenomenon is related to the concept of cognitive fluency, you should also make the type size easy to read and use simple words and sentence structure. These steps will minimize the perceived effort needed to accomplish the task, and your success rate will increase.

Original Post: http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/simple-fonts.htm

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