QR Codes have come a long way since their black-and-white beginnings. Today, brands are leveraging these pixelated squares to create exhilarating brand experiences for their audiences, opening up new ways of interacting with QR Codes. In this article, discover how to infuse your brand identity with QR Codes so you can craft engaging and mind-blowing brand experiences for your audience.
What is a branded QR Code?
A branded QR Code is a customized code that reflects a brand’s established identity. To maintain a consistent brand image, the QR Code adheres to brand guidelines, which incorporate elements such as the brand’s colors, logo, font, or overall design. This ensures that when your audience spots the QR Code, they can easily identify your company by recalling its distinctive color or logo.
How QR Codes and brand identity are closely connected
Brand identity distinguishes you from other brands by encapsulating the essence of your company—your values, personality, mission, and the cohesive portrayal of your brand across all channels of communication. This, in turn, shapes people’s emotions when they interact with your brand.
Brands like Mailchimp, LEGO, Duolingo, and IKEA shine due to their distinct personality and strong identity. These exemplary brands evoke specific feelings when we think about or engage with them.
However, they would not be identifiable without key visual design elements like the brand logo, color, or typography. Imagine Duolingo without its playful green owl logo, or LEGO without its consistently used all-caps font—it’s nearly impossible!
Simply put, they activate brand recall and that’s when we recall the unique personality and essence of the brand.
Applying the branding principle of staying consistent through every single channel of communication, QR Codes become integral brand assets. By integrating essential design elements into both the pixelated image of the QR Code and the online content it directs our audiences to, we further strengthen our brands.
Looking for how to increase brand awareness? Get some more tips on our blog!
Essential QR Code branding assets
In this section, we take a look at three core brand design principles and demonstrate how to apply them to the structure of QR Codes. These are must-have elements that will transform any QR Code into a valuable brand asset.
Color palette
Your brand colors are the hues your customers instantly associate with your brand—so they’re practically non-negotiables for including them in your QR Code design.
This rule doesn’t just apply to the QR Code itself, but also to any content you’re steering your audience towards, be it your website, microsite, or product packaging—consistency is the cornerstone of branding.
Simply integrate your brand colors by copying your exact hex code from your brand guidelines. That way you can keep a uniform and cohesive appearance throughout.
Brand logo
A brand logo is a core element of your visual identity. A symbol of your brand that incorporates your brand colors and unique personality. Luckily with a Bitly QR Code, it’s easy as pie to integrate a logo right in the middle of the square.
This not only enhances brand awareness but also reinforces a sense of confidence when scanning the QR Code. Think about it: You’re far more inclined to engage with or make a purchase from a brand that you recognize than from one you don’t.
Form and shape
The form and shape of your design can significantly influence the way your audience perceives your brand. For example, a logo with a round shape might convey a sense of community, unity, and love, while a square shape could make your brand appear trustworthy, strong, or efficient.
Applying the principles of shape psychology to your QR Code can also impact how your audience views your brand. Although the shape of QR Codes is inherently square, our QR Code customization features offer some flexibility in altering the inner and outer corners.
You can choose between a plethora of shapes from ovals and squares to rectangles and circles. Opt for one that aligns with the style of your brand.
Use cases that incorporate QR Code branding elements
These use cases are examples of how you can showcase your brand using QR Codes.
Websites
Your website is more than just an online space; it’s an extension of your brand, a reflection of your identity. Every aspect, from fonts and logos to colors and design elements, should embody your brand’s essence.
With Bitly, connecting your website is a breeze—every QR Code you create automatically includes a link. So if you wish to guide your audience using QR Codes, this is a straightforward way to achieve that.
But there’s more you can do. Consider adding a QR Code to your website with a customized banner. The example below demonstrates how you can effortlessly mirror your brand’s colors through a QR Code.
Business cards
Keeping a business card on hand may seem a bit old school, but these small rectangular cards still pack a punch. They not only convey professionalism but also act as brand ambassadors, showcasing essential elements like your logo, color palette, and font.
In a competitive business world where online presence matters most, a QR Code can transform your business card into a dynamic portal. It invites your new contacts to discover more about your brand beyond what the card itself can convey.
In the fictional example below, the Bees Foundation demonstrates how to employ brand colors on the business card and QR Code. The shape surrounding the QR Code mirrors the hexagon created by bees within their hives.
The brand logo is displayed on both sides of the card, reinforcing the tagline “Save the Bees” and emphasizing the importance of brand messaging. This business card encapsulates all core brand identity elements, providing everything someone needs to know about the business.
Want to take your business cards to the next level? Try digital business cards!
Print advertising
Looking to reinforce your brand message? Using print ads as a medium for brand promotion establishes a tangible connection between you and your audience. The act of physically engaging with print materials offers your audience a unique opportunity to develop a meaningful bond with your brand.
To elevate this connection, consider incorporating a QR Code into your printed materials. Why not give a QR Code flyer a try?
This prompts readers to extend their engagement beyond the printed material, unlocking additional opportunities for them to digitally connect with your brand. An added perk is the ability to track audience engagement and access valuable geographic data.
Plus, this allows you to create branded digital content that not only communicates your brand message but also leaves a lasting impression on your audience.
Product packaging
Brands with physical products have the advantage of embedding their brand assets into their packaging. It allows them to add a personal touch to their product that encourages more customer interaction.
But if brands want to make their packaging smarter, then QR Codes are their best bet. At Advertising Week 2023, our brand team gathered some intriguing marketing insights, including exciting discussions hosted by industry leaders. The discussions emphasized the use of connected packaging and the role QR Codes are playing in engaging consumers.
Another thing to consider: Brands using QR Codes on packaging in brick-and-mortar stores aren’t just making shopping experiences more interesting; they’re also staying ahead of the curve by blending online and offline shopping experiences. This is a smart business move because the hybrid retail experience is becoming more and more popular.
How to create QR Code branding assets
Now that you’ve got the hang of QR Code branding, it’s your turn to create your own. But before we set you loose without your training wheels, we’ll walk you through every step of how to create a Bitly QR Code that reflects your unique branding.
- Sign up or log into your Bitly account.
- Select Create New and then QR Code or press letter the Q on your keyboard for a shortcut.
- Add the link of your choice in the destination URL and fill in the remaining details on the field. Now select Design your code.
- Customize your code by selecting a template or starting from scratch. Then choose the Patterns and Corners. The QR Code style you choose will influence the shape of your QR Code design.
- Choose your colors for the Code and Background. Select Preset colors or simply copy and paste your hex color codes from your brand color palette.
- For the code itself, you can select either Single color or Gradient. For the background, you can select either Single color, Gradient, or Transparent.
- To match your corners with the code’s color, toggle Use QR Code color. To change the colors independently, unselect this option and adjust the Outer corner and Inner corner colors.
- Choose the logo for your QR Code. We recommend uploading your brand logo for brand purposes, but you also have the option to pick a preset social media icon, the Bitly logo, or a center text.
- Now select a frame. Depending on the frame you choose, you have the option to include a Frame text as your call to action (CTA) and a Frame color.
- You should have a fully kitted-out branded QR Code. Select Create your code once you’re ready.
- Your QR Code is complete! Select Copy code, Download, Customize, or copy the link.
Bonus: Explore the Bitly and Canva integration to add more personalization to your QR Code design.
Brand your QR Codes with Bitly
QR Code branding becomes far simpler when you utilize Bitly QR Codes as a brand awareness tool. With access to the Bitly Connections Platform, you can do so much more: shorten and create branded links, generate QR Codes and Link-in-bios, and track everything from a single, centralized location.
Sign up today and start building brand awareness through QR Codes.
