WTF Is That?

Are you getting confused or excited about seeing these odd graphics starting to pop up all over the place?  Do you even know what they are? They are called QR (Quick Response) codes. I mean with that name it makes me think of an alternative to dialing 911. Instead it’s a way to have you dial Michael Albany Photography-11!

Just think, you decide you have an urgent need for a portrait or some architectural shots. You just scan the QR code and you are instantly connected to my QR page. You highlight my phone number with you smart phone and hit dial. I answer and you can find out how fast I can get that new portrait for your dating profile or I get to the new school your team just completed. Classes start the next day so you need those shots now before the kids take over and ruin all that hard work with muddy shoes and spilled juice.

Seriously though, these little cubes of overgrown pixels actually do mean something to your smart phone. You will need a QR Code Reader App to decode them but they can lead to all kinds of treasures. Companies can put out a special sale that is only available to those who decode the QR and go to their website or sale announcement. If your company starts to use these things this way the possibilities can be virtually endless.

You think that these things are ugly or boring?  Well perhaps, but that is changing too. There are custom QR Codes available that include your logo or some other graphic. Some QR creators are starting to incorporate color too. Everything comes at a price though and recognition can drop to as low as 60% when colors are used; the jury is still out on the custom codes. To help with recognition your QR should be at least 1 inch by 1 inch and it is best to at least make sure there is a very high contrast between the matrix and its background.

An entire industry is growing around these confusing little squares. Maybe I shouldn’t say little though; they have been seen on billboards and on huge signs in places like New York’s Time Square. No matter the size you are sure to see many more around as they become more and more accepted. In places like Japan, the Netherlands, and South Korea they are just another part of the urban landscape.

So to do my part and help build new industries, to create jobs throughout our country, I am now using my very own QR Code. Yep that is mine up there. Scan it and see a special offer that is only available through my QR page.

The only thing that worries me about these things is what happens when the younger generation starts starring at them. Will they be able to translate them without a reader?  If so, what messages will they start sending to each other… about us?