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Make a QR sign
worth scanning

6 min readUses Content capture

The short version

  1. 1Write the headline first. What happens, and what they get, in six words or so.
  2. 2Size for the distance. Bigger than feels tasteful, with a clear white border.
  3. 3Test it in the real light. Dim bars and shiny laminate break more QR codes than bad design does.

Five fixes, one good sign

1Step 1 of 5

Write the words before you open a design tool

A QR code on its own is a puzzle. Nobody scans a mystery square at a party, because it could be a menu, a survey or a phishing link. The words around it do all the persuading.

Your headline needs two things: what happens when they scan and what they get. “Come find your photos from the event” does both. “Scan me!” does neither.

Aim for about six words in the headline and one short line underneath. If the sign needs a paragraph to explain itself, the idea is too complicated, not the sign too small.

The same code. One sign says what happens and what you get.
2Step 2 of 5

Size the QR code sign for events by distance

A common rule of thumb: the code should be about a tenth as wide as the distance people will scan from. Scanning from a metre away? Make the code around 10cm wide. From across a bar? Go bigger.

Leave a clear white border around the code, about as wide as a few of its little squares. Scanners use that empty edge to find the code, and designers love to crop it. Do not let them.

Table tents can be small because people sit right next to them. Wall signs and easel boards cannot. When in doubt, print the bigger one.

The QR code for your sign sheet in the workspace, with Download PNG and Copy link
The code downloads as a PNG, ready to place on your sign.
3Step 3 of 5

Dark code, light background, nothing clever

Scanners want contrast: a dark code on a light background. Brand colours are fine for the frame and the headline. Keep the code itself plain, because a pale pink QR on a lilac card is a lovely idea that phones do not share.

Skip glossy laminate if you can. Under spotlights or a phone torch, the shine bounces right off the code and the scan fails. Matte paper or matte laminate is your friend.

If you want your logo inside the code, test it on several phones first. Codes can lose a little of their pattern and still scan, but a big logo is a gamble you can only lose at the door.

The album’s QR sheet, with the code, the album name and a link to copy
The QR code from the album’s share sheet, dark on pale yellow
Dark on light scans. Pale on pastel makes phones hesitate.
4Step 4 of 5

Say “no app” right under the code

The biggest hesitation in front of any QR code is “what am I about to download?”. Answer it on the sign: opens in your camera, no app, no account.

With MyWrap that line is true. Guests scan, the album opens in their browser and they add photos and videos straight from their camera roll. Saying so turns a maybe into a scan.

Add a short link under the code too, for the person whose camera will not cooperate. It looks old fashioned and it rescues more guests than you would expect.

The Dotti Summer Launch album open in the browser, with one button to add photos or videos
Where the scan lands: the album, open in the browser.
5Step 5 of 5

Test it like a guest, in the actual venue

Walk in when the lights are set for the event, not when the cleaners are in. Scan every sign from where a guest would stand, at an angle, with three different phones.

Try the dark corner. Try with a drink in one hand. Try the older phone. If one sign fails, move it under better light rather than hoping for the best.

Last check: does the code open the right album? It sounds obvious. It is also the mistake that happens when last year’s sign file gets reused.

Friends laughing into a selfieGuests laughing on a rooftop in the sun
Test from where a guest stands, in the event’s own light.

Your take

Three quick ones. Tap an answer to see how everyone else replied. We read every answer, it shapes what we build next.

1 of 3

Who designs the QR signs for your events?

2 of 3

Do you test your QR signs in the venue before guests arrive?

3 of 3

What has gone wrong with a QR sign at your events?

What you wish this guide covered, what drives you mad about event photos, anything. Read by the people building MyWrap.

Steal this

Sign copy for three sizes. Swap in your own link and event name.

Main sign (A3 or bigger)

“Come find your photos from the event. Point your camera here. No app, no account, about 20 seconds. Can’t scan? Go to [short link]”

Table tent

“Your photos from the event are in here. Scan to find yours, and add the good ones you took. No app.”

For staff when a guest asks what it is

“It’s the album for the event. Our photographer’s shots go in there, so scan it to find yours, and add any you’ve taken. Nothing to download.”

Fair questions

What should a QR code sign for events say?

What happens when they scan and what they get back, in about six words, plus a short line saying no app is needed. For example: “Come find your photos from the event. No app.”

How big should a QR code be on an event sign?

A rule of thumb is about a tenth of the scanning distance, so roughly 10cm wide for a metre away. Leave a clear white border around it and print a test copy at full size.

Why won’t my QR code scan at the venue?

Usually low contrast, glare from glossy laminate, a cropped border or dim light. Use a dark code on a light matte background and test every sign in event lighting.

Can I put my logo in the middle of a QR code?

Sometimes, but test it on several phones first. A plain code with your branding around it is the safer choice.

Do guests need an app to scan the QR?

No. Their phone camera reads the code and the album opens in the browser. They add photos from their camera roll with no app and no account.

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