MakeQR

QR code designs

Make it yours without breaking it

A QR code can take your colours, softer dot shapes and a logo in the middle — up to a point. These pages cover each design choice and the rule that keeps it scannable, so the code looks like your brand and still works on the first try.

5 pages

QR code designs: questions and answers

Short answers to what people ask before they print. Anything else, write to us.

Ask us something else

How much can a QR code be customized before it stops scanning?

Color, dot shape, corner style and a center logo can all change without breaking the code, as long as contrast between foreground and background stays strong and the three corner squares remain recognizable. Reshaping or removing those corner squares, or pushing colors too close in tone, is what actually causes a customized code to fail.

Does adding a logo to a QR code make it less reliable?

Not on its own. Error correction rises automatically to its highest level when a logo is added, rebuilding enough of the surrounding pattern that a scanner can still read it with part of the center covered. A logo sized too large relative to the code, covering more than roughly a quarter of it, is what actually causes scan failures.

Can a QR code match brand colors exactly?

Yes, within contrast limits. The foreground and background can be set to any two colors, but a scanner needs enough difference between them to distinguish the pattern from its background, so a light brand color often needs a darker foreground to pair with it. MakeQR checks the combination and warns before download if it's too faint to scan reliably.

What's the difference between square and rounded QR code styles?

Both encode identical data; only the shape of the modules and corners changes. Square modules are the traditional look and offer the widest scanner compatibility. Rounded dots and softened corners give a code a different appearance, and modern phone cameras read them just as reliably as long as the three finder squares in the corners stay clear.

Do all QR code scanners read custom-designed codes the same way?

Nearly all modern phone cameras and scanner apps handle color, rounded dots and a center logo without trouble, since the underlying data grid hasn't changed. Older or very basic barcode scanners built for retail checkout are the exception, since some read only plain black-and-white patterns and can struggle with lower-contrast or heavily styled designs.

Does a QR code's design affect how far away it can be scanned from?

Only indirectly, through contrast rather than color choice itself. A darker foreground against a lighter background keeps the pattern legible from a similar distance as plain black and white, roughly ten times the code's width. Very light color pairings or heavily rounded, low-contrast styles can shorten that reliable scanning distance even at the same printed size.