QR Codes

Chances are that if you have a smart phone, you will have a scanner app  that allows you to scan QR codes, such as the one above. If you can it, you will be linked to my Linkedin profile. Neat, isn't it? Here's some interesting trivia: QR codes originated from Japanese automotive manufacturers for industrial usage, but it slowly made a huge hit across mainstream media for its cross-platform comparability.

QR codes function by the means of using  matrices using different a combination of pixels in up to nine distributed quadrant across the 'square' that the code is encapsulated within. Each quadrant contains a particular pattern that all sequence together to produce the URL code that is sent to the scanner. Compared with traditional bar-codes, there is no need to worry about issues regarding alignment, and QR codes allow for alpha-numeric combinations otherwise not reproducible by bar-codes.

It gives users means to attain URLs to websites rather than to input them manually. QR codes have been used for advertisements as well, with great success. The potential business revenue generated by QR codes will only grow from this point due to the increasing number of smart phones in society. With the ever-increasing integration of technology in everyday culture, it's only a matter of time that QR codes will start replacing everyday means of identification. QR codes comes in many different revisions and one can even customize the color and add an image to their QR codes.

 

Dou, X., & Li, H. (2008, December 1). CREATIVE USE OF QR CODES IN CONSUMER COMMUNICATION.: EBSCOhost. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3e3a104b-a19d-46c5-919d-3e27d6bc817b%40sessionmgr4005&vid=2&hid=4212