Quest for the Hidden QR Code: How to Hide a QR Code?
Placing a hidden QR code on print materials or digital templates is an innovative way to engage with audiences and keep them on their toes.
A camouflaged QR code on an image makes it difficult for users to spot them at first glance, giving it an illusion of being hidden.
Hiding QR codes in print materials or online ads will increase users’ interest, leaving a good impression of your material.
This way, your audience will interact more with your brand since they’ll be interested in finding your QR code and discovering what data lies behind it.
If you want to get ideas for this, you’ve come to the right place. Check out how you can create a QR code using the best QR code generator and hide it flawlessly.
Ways to hide a QR code
There are several methods that you can use to hide a QR code. Check out the examples below for your reference.
Hide the QR code in the image
You can disguise your QR code as part of an image. Since visual QR codes are customizable, you can add them to the overall picture using the same color scheme.
By doing so, you will still be able to maintain the image’s aesthetic, and users won’t notice that you hide a QR code in that image.
This method is applicable for marketers hosting a scavenger hunt for promo codes. They can hide the QR code on product packaging and see the lucky consumers who will notice that hidden code to win amazing surprises.
Blend QR codes in artwork
As an artist, sharing your artwork and its details are both important. Some artists have already used QR codes on their masterpieces for transparency, such as materials used, inspiration, and details about the artists.
But did you know that you can blend QR codes right into your actual artwork?
In the study “Aesthetic QR Codes Based on Two-Stage Image Blending” by Zhang et al., they blended module-based and pixel-based blending and maintained the correction-error level.
Invisible QR code thru nanotechnology
Counterfeit money poses a potential threat as it can reduce real currencies’ value and lead to inflation. This is why installing QR codes for added security is a must.
To combat this staggering problem, US researchers created a hidden QR code on banknotes. They used nanoparticles to develop this tiny detail.
The QR codes created can be seen under an infrared laser light but are still scannable using smartphones. They combined blue and green fluorescence ink so users could only see them under infrared light.
This method may not be achievable yet for most. But if you have the same resources, you can try this technique to create an invisible QR code.
Print on a hidden area
There’s no better way to hide a QR code than actually hiding the QR code. Do not just change its colors so it’ll blend with the surroundings. Hide it somewhere no one will see.
This technique is great for scavenger hunts and games, especially for companies promoting their product.
You can print it behind a product’s label, so only those who peel off the packaging can scan the QR code. The finding-QR code gimmick could form part of the overall promotional stint.
QR code basics: static vs. dynamic
Before diving into the different ways of hiding your QR code, let’s get to know the QR code first.
There are two main types of QR codes that you can create: static and dynamic. Both QR codes vary in functions and features.
The static QR code directly stores data in the pattern. This is why your data size will affect the QR code. Bigger sizes mean more congested patterns, which could lead to slower scans.
You cannot edit the embedded data once you’ve generated the QR code. But the good news is most QR code generator platforms offer these for free.
On the other hand, dynamic QR codes are more advanced. Instead of hard-coding your data straight to the pattern, they store a short URL.
It allows you to edit the data embedded in your QR code even after you generate it, so you won’t have to create a new code again.
It also has a tracking feature that lets you monitor essential data to help you know your market: the number of scans, time and date, and devices used to scan the QR code.
You can also use a password on your dynamic QR codes for added security and set it to expire after a specific date or once it reaches a particular number of scans.
How to make a QR code using the best QR code generator
Well, you can’t hide a QR code if you don’t have one in the first place. The good news is that creating a QR code will only take seconds. Below are the simple steps to do so:
- Go to QR TIGER and log in. You may sign up for the freemium version if you don’t have an account yet.
- Choose a solution that you want to use.
- Enter the data required by the solution.
- Select Dynamic QR, then click Generate QR code.
- Customize your QR code. You can change colors, choose patterns and eye shapes, and add a logo or a frame with a call to action.
Just make sure that customizing the QR code in the free QR code generator will be consistent with your purpose of hiding it. If you’ll blend it with an image, use the appropriate colors.
- Run a test scan to ensure your custom QR code design works perfectly fine.
- Download your QR code and deploy it.
Hidden QR code real-life use cases
Here are some real-life examples of how QR code blends with materials making them almost unnoticeable.
Tony Taj’s skyline painting
Tony Taj is an artist from Seattle who incorporates his skyline landscape with digital technology. In his painting were a series of city buildings, and if you look closely, you’ll see QR codes in between.
He calls this technique Ambient Media Portal (AMP), which aims to connect traditional paintings to digital technology to narrate a deeper story.
Yiying Lu’s “Portal to the Unknown”
Yiying Lu is a Chinese artist currently based in San Francisco, California. She introduced QR codes hidden in arts through her “Portal to the Unknown,” a collection of hand-drawn paintings.
Three pieces from this collection featured QR codes. When users scan the QR code, it redirects to Lu’s website, where you find more of her artwork.
QR code Easter eggs in Marvel series
Marvel has always been fond of concealing QR codes in many of its series, waiting for the audience to spot them.
In Marvel’s Moon Knight, they discreetly hid QR codes in the season’s first, second, and fifth episodes. Each redirects to a free digital copy of the Moon Knight comics.
Even in the first episode of Ms. Marvel, viewers found a QR code displayed on an ATM during a scene between characters Kamala Khan and Bruno in a store. The code redirects to a Ms. Marvel 2014 webcomic.
A QR code on the wall in one of She Hulk’s episodes also leads to a website where audiences can access the 1980s The Savage She-Hulk #1 comic.
QR codes hiding in video games
Portal RTX, the updated version of the game Portal, introduced secret QR codes across their game world. Scanning one will reveal a secret code that will open up a new cube and change the game display.
Another unnoticeable QR code is on one of the scenes in the video game High On Life.
You can see the character Tweeg eating from a cereal box with a QR code. When scanned, it will lead scanners to the Squanch game site, where they can play more games.
Music videos with QR codes
There’s a QR code hiding in plain sight in Charlie Puth and BTS Jungkook’s Left and Right music video.
Most people thought of it only as a prop, while others dismissed it as they focused more on the song and the artists.
But here’s the surprise: The QR code works. When scanned, it redirects to Puth’s official website, where fans can order the limited-edition CD single of the song.
“Hide your kids, hide your wife…” and hide your QR codes
Add an element of surprise to your campaigns using a hidden QR code and drive your audiences to a scavenger hunt or other engaging activities.
But before doing that, you must guarantee that your QR codes are high-quality and error-free so users will have a seamless scanning experience.
Trust QR TIGER, the best QR code generator online, for the best QR code solutions. It can provide fantastic custom features to help you hide your QR code successfully.
It also offers dynamic QR codes for more advanced features. And on top of that, it’s also ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant.
Sign up for an account today and create the best QR code quest experience.
