The first conversations I recall having about QR codes were with information security experts. Easy forgery. Malicious codes. Trojans. Cross-scripting vulnerabilities. Mobile devices hacked. Enterprises compromised. And then “The Great Disaster” heralded by Jack Kirby where human civilization falls and our bestial descendants are ruled by gorillas, coyotes, and other animals.
It wasn’t the best first impression.
Those conversations were several years ago back when QR codes were hot enough with marketing departments to be placed anywhere. Hey, that ceiling has space. Let’s put a QR code up there!
By the time I arrived in the Printerverse, QR codes had fallen out of favor in US consumer advertising and the consensus among my print and design friends seems to be that they were ugly and often used inappropriately.
But they aren’t dead. In my most recent column for PrintMediaCentr’s News from the Printerverse, I discuss recent and proposed applications for QR codes.
Inappropriate placement, security issues, and the requirement for users to find and scan the code with a reader app (that would not necessarily work the first time) afflicted QR codes more than the aesthetic issues some of us go on about. But while they might seem to be trending towards obsolescence in consumer advertising, QR codes are still being applied in a few new places.
Let me know what you think after you read the rest at: http://www.printmediacentr.com/2016/07/26/qr-codes-resurface/
Look a "Snapcode!" But only my brother will immediately recognize "who" is featured in the image.