Learn more: For more information about the Hy-Vee QR code design go to https://www.siouxfalls.business/giving-back-for-october-5/.

From Logo to Scan-tastic

Why settle for the ordinary when your brand can be extraordinary?

Imagine your logo not just as a visual symbol but as a gateway to a unique and interactive experience. By incorporating custom QR codes into your logo design, you’re not just catching attention; you’re crafting a novel and engaging brand narrative.

I recently went shopping at a Hy-Vee Grocery store while visiting family in Iowa. As soon as I walked in the door there was this beaming red poster, from the floor to ceiling, nearly 12 feet tall. Simply put, it was their logo designed into a QR code.

The concept blew me away not because of it’s utility but it flipped the script. They weren’t just just catching my attention; they were crafting a novel and engaging brand narrative. Sure, as a designer/marketer, maybe I’m the only one that noticed but it opened up my eyes. Custom QR codes typically include a tiny logo inside of a single batch of bars and dots. Often it’s just added to the footer of an advertisement, merely as a contact reference, as we all do with our professional signatures in email. Now the logo is the website, asks for your participation, drives an action, the brand identity is now synonymous with a destination, and that experience, they are all for once harmonious.

I ran some tests, and found, surely enough, all you have to do is duplicate and stack qr codes (reversed or not) within the framework of your logo. Simple right? Why this blew me away was I was able to imagine a world where eventually just logos are registered within databases. Every piece of collateral could be a reference point to digital information and products, with just a few reference points to subdomains with a few extra dots. Logos are globally accessible. There is no language barrier. A QR code is kind of a complex hieroglyph so why not make logos readable?

I’m not suggesting that this trend is something every business should try. In fact, it’s the antithesis of what we are told in our first design class. Don’t mess with the logo. What I am excited about is when someone does something new that makes me think and I have to commend the marketing and design department over at Hy-Vee for this one.