Core77

Forum Frenzy: QR Codes on Business Cards

By An Xiao Mina - March 7, 2012

in Forum Frenzy | Graphic Design

QR code business card by Meadowlark Creative

In Korea, the Internet is everywhere. I had the privilege of living and working in Korea for a month this past summer and constantly found myself with opportunities to get online. The country is legendary for being the fastest, most wired in the world, but I didn't expect to find myself catching wifi signals in the midst of Buddhist monasteries and at the top of mountains.

But in Korea, business cards are all the rage as well. In business contexts, I received them almost immediately after shaking hands, whereas in more casual settings, I usually received them after dinner. It could have been just as easy to trade Facebook contact information, but the importance of the business card exchange is difficult to underestimate. All throughout Asia, I'd be met with looks of mild irritation if I forgot to bring my business cards with me.

In the US, I trade business cards much less frequently—in my circle, we just whip out our smartphones and follow each other on Twitter—but I still carry them around. And I start to wonder about how they can interface and remain relevant with a digital generation.

A creative approach to embedding a QR codes in a resume.

A simple question on the Core77 Discussion Board posed by dexigner20110 has sparked a flurry of discussion recently: "I'm in the process of designing our new business cards and would like to know if any of you put QR code on them?" Most participants, not surprisingly, responded in the negative. User seurban rightly pointed out that, since QR code readers aren't embedded with smartphone interfaces, the extra step to scan is too much work: "On a business card that real estate is precious, and for a typical URL the time/hassle difference between typing and using a QR code is tiny."

"[F]rankly no one cares and they are ugly!!" Core77 moderator PackageID stated in no uncertain terms. "I can single handedly say that I have not use[d] one single QR code."

I've only scanned them once or twice, and that was because I'd just downloaded an app and wanted to try it out. The utility seemed nice, but I found myself wishing for a simpler way to transfer all that business card data into my address book.

It got me thinking about a recent article in the Boston Globe looking at another way to get those business cards into our address books: scanning apps. These apps, using a variety of systems from optical recognition technology to crowdsourced human input, take all those business cards you've collected and turns it into digital data:

In the 21st century, though, we want phone numbers and e-mail addresses to be digitally accessible. I have been exploring the best ways to accomplish that - by scanning cards, photographing them with a mobile phone, mailing them to someone else to deal with, or trying to avoid exchanging cards entirely. The only strategy I have eschewed is typing the information in myself.

But overall, it's remarkable to think that we're all working to find ways to keep business cards alive and functional. In the most wired country in the world, they're still alive and well. The tangibility of exchange remains a time honored tradition. And for designers, it's a lovely way to create an object reflecting one's design skills and personal branding beyond a web site and social media presence.

QR codes may not yet be the best answer to the jumble of cards we collect during conference and business meetings, though streamlining the process of scanning could certainly help. Card readers are a good solution but they may not be perfect or affordable for everyone.

In the mean time, if my experience in Korea has taught me anything, we'll keep trading those cards, no matter how wired and connected our society gets. The impulse to trade objects is a human one, and the cards help create a feeling of solidity to a new relationship that's difficult to replicate with a Facebook friend request.

Ultimately, dexigner20110 decided to print an initial run of 5,000 cards sans QR codes, and most everyone (including me) approved. For now, it seems like the best solution is a classic one: invest in a simple, easy to remember web site and place it clearly on your card.

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Mostafa Osman

7 years ago

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can I use this code in this Ideas
www.theprintinglife.com/cool-business-cards-designs-templates-creative-ideas/

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Jose

12 years ago

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QRs are just another channel. We at http://www.flarecard.com have decided that business cards should stop being just dummy papers and start promoting you more actively.

If you are looking for functionality besides design just take a look. We make advanced business cards where you can include all you online activities (besides traditional contact info). The cards can be also viewed with a mobile (via a qr code or short url included in the front) and followed by your contacts. That means that your card promotes your activities informing your followers when you do things like posting on your blog, adding a new video to your youtube channel, etc.

After you make them you can print them via http://www.moo.com from the application or download free pdf templates and print them anywhere you like. Or you can just grab your QR and short url and use any design you want for your cards, then you obtain the same high tech cards as with our default design.

In a few days we are adding better support for company logo and a few more details added to the cards.

As a side comment if you put a QR code on a card please reserve enough space for it. For example iPhone 3G has no autofocus so the code size is vital.

Cheers.
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Chris Berry

12 years ago

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I think the QR code is a good idea, however I think there is a down side for it. Not everyone can look it up. You want something than everyone can see and that is mainly yor contact details and what your business is about by a picture or something else.
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Eric Baker

12 years ago

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So wait... you put a QR Code on your biz card so people can scan it to find out... wait for it... the information that was supposed to be on the card in the first place? And really, it it THAT much easier than including a shortened URL for the extended info and/or web site? Really?

I know that people keep wishing for QR codes to have a purpose, but this isn't one of them.
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MikeP

12 years ago

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The use of business cards in Korea has a two fold use. As Korean's use honorifics to address each other, not names, the business card shows who the senior person is, thus letting each person know what honorific to use. Having a QR code would be totally pointless in this situation. The other use of business cards is, of course, their traditional use of giving contact information.
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Fitorio

12 years ago

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Nice idea eventhough this idea unapplicable in some countries.
However i got an idea too for this business card culture. Feel free to check it at http://www.coroflot.com/fitorio/halo
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Ed

12 years ago

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Moe its not all about taking you to a web site. I have put a We code oh my card which enters my email, phone, address and website to there contacts so they don't have to type all that info.
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Moe

12 years ago

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QR codes are a huge fail in NA... why would I waste my time loading up my qr code reader which I assume is only good for mobile phones.. I don't want people looking at my website on a mobile phone I want them looking at it on a 24" monitor.

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powers

12 years ago

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*slow clap* ... resume concept of the year.
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Jake

12 years ago

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Am I missing something? Maybe there are some cultural differences in Korea but I thought nobody in the US knew what a QR code was, let alone put them on business cards.
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Eric

12 years ago

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Just reprinted my cards on recycled paper and the back is dedicated to the QR code! its a fantastic way to merge the physical with the online world. Even the Botzen website has a QR code on it so that people with mobile devices can scan the screen of a friends computer or mobile device and instantly access the website! https://www.botzen.com who want to type that all out....?
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