How to Leverage QR Code Colors for a Memorable Brand Experience

Common scannability risks while creating a colored QR Code and how to mitigate them

While customizing and coloring your QR Code, there is a lot to remember, as certain customizations can hamper its scannability.

🚨Risk 1: Lack of contrast between the colors

• Data Pattern: Ensure the QR Code’s dots are always darker than the background for easy scanning. Avoid light patterns on light backgrounds and inverted QR Codes (light pattern, dark background) as they are harder to scan.

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• Gradients: When applying a gradient to the data pattern, ensure that the start color contrasts with the background to prevent blending. For instance, a light-to-dark gradient can work well if the lighter part of the gradient is still darker than the background.

• Eyes: The color of the QR Code’s eyes (position markers) and their frames must contrast with the background. Mobile cameras cannot accurately read the QR Code if these components blend with the background.

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• Frame: The frame should be a different color than the QR Code’s background. This helps the QR Code stand out, especially if you include CTA (call-to-action) text within the frame.

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• Ensure the color of the CTA text is also highly legible. Although the frame’s color may not directly impact scannability, it can affect how well users can read the CTA, potentially impacting engagement.

🚨Risk 2: Using a dark background

Mitigation:

• Avoid inverted QR Codes (dark background, light pattern) as they often cause scanning issues. 
• If using a transparent background or placing the QR Code over an image, ensure it doesn’t affect the contrast between the pattern and background. 
• Avoid placing a transparent QR Code on a dark theme, and ensure light-colored codes on light backgrounds are still scannable.

🚨Risk 3: Using external design tools to create your QR Code

Mitigation:

• Avoid exporting a black-and-white QR Code and modifying its colors using third-party design tools such as InDesign, Canva, or Photoshop. These tools can alter the design in ways that reduce scannability, particularly if the design isn’t optimized for color changes.
• Instead, customize your QR Code colors directly within the QR Code generator platform (such as Uniqode), where the system ensures the correct color application for maximum scan efficiency.

🚨Risk 4: Choosing colors on your QR Code that do not align with your brand identity

Mitigation: 

Use color psychology for QR Codes. What does it mean? Read on to discover more in the section below.

Using color psychology to pick the best QR Code color for your brand

One of the best ways to ensure that your QR Code design stands out without clashing with your overall brand identity is to align the QR Code’s colors with your existing color palette. However, suppose you are unsure what color palette to go for. In that case, you can always focus on color psychology to determine the best combination for your brand’s color QR Codes. 

Color psychology can further help you evoke certain emotions and messages in your QR Codes, much like it does for logos. 

We conducted extensive research by using preexisting data on the use of color psychology in branding and combining it with our internal research, which comprises a dataset of 30,000 marketers who designed color QR Codes on our platform for their respective brands.   

This table neatly summarizes our findings. It includes the most popular color combinations, their psychological impact, and practical use cases with examples.

Color Groups 🎨	Psychology🧠	Industry🛠️	QR Code Use-case🤳🏻
🔵Blue and ⚪ White	Trust, competence, loyalty	Corporate and tech industries where reliability is crucial	Tech company using a blue-and-white QR Code for customer service support
🔴Red and 🟡Yellow	Excitement, energy, creativity	High-energy brands such as fast food or entertainment	Restaurants using a red-and-yellow QR Code code on menus for mobile ordering
⚫Black and 🪙Gold	Class, formality, luxury	Premium brands in retail, fashion, or automotive sectors	Luxury watch brand incorporating a black-and-gold QR Code into packaging
🟢Green and ⚪White	Nature, healing, growth	Eco-friendly and wellness industries	Organic product brands using a green-and-white QR Code on packaging for information.
🟠Orange and ⚫Black	Friendliness, confidence, security	Ecommerce packaging and retail store promotions	Ecommerce business using an orange-and-black QR Code code on shipping labels
🫧Pastels (e.g. Pink 🟢and Mint Green)	Soft, calming, approachable	Beauty, cosmetics, and lifestyle brands	A pastel QR Code for a cosmetics brand, offering loyalty rewards via packaging

Impact of Color QR Codes on Customer Interaction

QR Codes can increase customer interactions as they can easily direct them to websites, landing pages, videos, digital business cards, menus, PDFs, and other campaigns.

A custom QR Code can increase your customer interaction even higher. Our poll also shows that about 94.4% of users prefer scanning a colored QR Code over a black-and-white one. 

Here’s how colored QR Codes can make a deeper impact on your audience:

1. Brand identity

Color is an essential attribute in branding. Many brands depend highly on a unique color palette to shape their identity.  Coca-Cola’s cans are identifiable due to their signature red and white color scheme. Similarly, red packaging with a yellow ‘M’ reminds us of McDonald’s. The same goes for the colored QR Codes.

A colored QR Code using your brand’s primary colors will compliment your brand’s identity and stand out among the black and white ones. This will help users quickly associate with your brand. Hence, this could prompt them to scan your QR Code and carry out the necessary action.   

For example, suppose your brand logo (such as Pepsi, in the image above) primarily uses blue and red. In that case, you can create a two-tone blue-and-green QR Code for consistency across your marketing materials.

Uniqode’s Auto-Design does this for you!

Uniqode’s Auto Design algorithm can analyze your brand’s design identity (from the logo you upload) and generate color QR Codes based on constantly updated design trends in your industry.

It further analyzes brand elements such as favicons, button colors, and more from campaigns such as your website URLs, restaurant menus, business page, etc., to generate multiple custom-designed color QR Codes.

If you do not like any of the auto-generated designs, you can continue to generate more options by clicking the “Refresh” button.

Suppose you like a generated design but do not agree with one of the aspects, for example, the eye color of the QR Code. In that case, you can separately modify it as these auto generations are fully editable.

Auto Design eliminates manual customization on QR Code design, saving designers valuable time and resources and eliminating any learning curve for non-designers.

2. Compatible with designs

Brand building is not just limited to strategy but also extends to designs and visuals. So, placing a black-and-white QR Code in your brand’s design might not match its aesthetic. 

With a black and white QR Code, the coherency in the design goes away. On the other hand, a color-coordinated QR Code that blends well with your brand design can elevate customer engagement and lead to successful campaign results.

3. Engagement via CTA frames

Placing a colored QR Code without a CTA frame is like telling a story without a title. A clear-cut QR Code CTA frame can enhance the chances of attracting potential customers’ attention. 

If a QR Code has a CTA text such as “Scan to view PDF,” the user is aware that they can view a PDF file upon scanning the QR Code. This lets your audience know what to expect after scanning.

Using frames with personalized CTAs has an even better impact and a high conversion rate.

Here’s how Uniqode fares against its competitors when it comes to QR Code customization.  

As you can see from the above comparison, Uniqode is the best QR Code generator among its competitors when it comes to customization.

Frequently asked questions

Why are most QR Codes black and white in color?

The original QR Codes design was influenced by black and white Go board pieces. The reason is high contrast; the bigger the difference between the colors, the easier it is to read the QR Code. Since then, QR Codes have been black and white in color. However, not so recently, the customization of QR Codes grew more popular and became a necessity for businesses.

Can QR Codes be colorful?

Color can lift the appearance of QR Codes and help attract even more customers. Additionally, you can easily integrate them into your campaigns and marketing collaterals. Create a user-friendly colored QR Code with Uniqode.

How do I create an artistic QR Code?

You can create an artistic QR Code in 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Go to Uniqode’s QR Code generator and select the type of QR Code.

Step 2: Set up your QR Code campaign by filling in the required fields.

Step 3: Customize your QR Code with colors and shapes of your choice for each element.

Step 4: Download your QR Code in the format of your choice.