Rachel
Had a bit of graphic design panic this morning. The QR code on an already printed $18,000 mailing suddenly stopped working. I had tested it before approving the proof, and everyone swears they didn’t touch it. A couple stressful hours later and someone was able to fix the QR code. PHEW.
#graphicdesign #printing #qrcode
May 23 at 8:52pmWeb
Show threadHenry Wilkinson5d ago
@moopylonster How are you making these QR codes?
Show threadRachel5d ago
@hank We use a legit paid service since we’re a pretty big company. My guess is someone edited the QR code without knowing it was going to break things.
Show threadHenry Wilkinson5d ago

@moopylonster I assume you use analytics / want the ability to redirect them?

I've recently encountered a handful of people — mostly less computer-brained artist folks — who are unaware that QR codes are just text and seem to believe (likely because this is the way that some of these services are sold to people) that QR codes *require* some sort of back end to function. Thinking of writing a blog post about this, would love to know what platform you use and if it's genuinely providing value!

Show threadRachel5d ago
@hank Yup, we like knowing the analytics of how they are used, and having that flexibility to redirect them is nice. The service is short.io. It has some other nice features like custom short links that we also use a lot. A blog post explaining the difference between a basic QR code and a platform to manage them is a great idea! I’ve seen people sign up for a service that then breaks their QR code when the trial runs out because they don’t understand the difference.
Show threadHenry Wilkinson5d ago

@moopylonster Yeah! That's the exact problem I've seen people encounter!

Short.io looks pretty legit, other less-scrupulous sites will describe the functions of their analytics and "scanning limits" as the functions of a "dynamic QR code" itself which like... The *code* isn't *dynamic* it just leads to a link shortener??

It's somewhat pedantic, but leads to real misconceptions and I'm tired of dark patterns basically extorting people to make their links work again!

Show threadRachel5d ago
@hank I have had to discourage so many people from signing up for free trials of those sites, but they never really grasp the consequences until things break. Even then, they still don’t really understand the dynamic QR code thing, like you said. I don’t think it’s pedantic. It would be great to have another attempt at explaining the difference so maybe people can understand and avoid that trap.