Most of us scan them daily without giving it much thought. But how do they actually work? Well we are going to dig deep into how they are mad and what is actually behind that little black-and-white square. Each qr code is a clever piece of tech with a fascinating history and an ongoing story of its own.
It all started in 1994 from a company called Denso Wave, which is subsidiary of Toyota in Japan. Originally, they were used to track car parts during manufacturing. Unlike traditional barcodes, which could only store a small amount of information, QR codes were designed to hold far more data and be scanned from multiple angles.
A QR code works by encoding data in a grid of black and white modules. When you scan it, your phone’s camera reads the pattern of squares and translates it into information — usually a URL. The beauty of QR codes is error correction. Even if part of the code is dirty or damaged, it can still be read correctly.Whether you know how they work or not, it doesn’t really matter - we have seen a huge rise in the use of qr codes, mostly around the covid era, and post that period, many companies still use qr codes in-store or with print materials. But what we have seen the even more attention is customising the qr codes. You may have even seen qr codes on tv channels with the tv logo in the centre and the qr code coloured branded.
What many people don’t know is that there are actually 40 versions of QR codes, each with a different data capacity. Version 1 is a simple 21×21 grid, while Version 40 is a huge 177×177 grid that can store thousands of characters. The higher the version, the more data it can hold — but the more complex it looks.
QR codes include Error correction levels, which range from L to H, are also included in QR codes. A QR code at the highest level (H) can still be successfully scanned even if it loses up to 30% of its data.
What started as a factory tool has become a marketing powerhouse. With the rise and demand of the qr code, they have continued to evolve, year after year, and aren’t just your basic black-and-white grids. They can be customised with colours, shapes, logos, and even call-to-action text. This makes them both functional and brand-friendly.
Using linkshortener.io, you have many custom branding options at your disposal Whether its border size and colour, call to action text like “SCAN ME NOW”, or amend the colour of the foreground and background colors.
Each styling addition offers a more unique and on-brand experience than just a plain old black and white qr code, which is fine too!
QR codes are always. With features like dynamic QR codes, analytics tracking, country and device redirection, they have truly gone way beyond their original purpose. The core tech hasn’t changed much, but how we use it keeps expanding.
What do you think the future of qr codes wil be?
— Sarah Marsh-Collins
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