CNN Money has an interesting story this week on companies that have taken QR codes beyond black and white to full color and beyond. The story provides a collection of 23 QR codes that reflect brand as much as provide a link to relevant content. As QR codes gain traction faster than the latest smartphone, perhaps it is time for more retailers and organizations to "think outside the QR-code box" and design codes that extend product brand or image.
Among some of the companies using creative QR codes in the CNN story: Gillette, Red Cross, Ralph Lauren, Macy's, True Blood (HBO), Time, and the Salvation Army. The gallery is also worth looking at to see how some of these organizations use QR codes (i.e., what they direct the user to as a destination).
