How to put a logo in a QR code without breaking it

A logo in the middle of a QR code looks like it should ruin it. It covers part of the pattern, after all. Usually it doesn’t, because QR codes are built to survive damage.

Why a covered code still scans

Every QR code carries extra data that lets a reader rebuild missing parts. This is called error correction, and it comes in four levels. The lowest, L, can recover about 7% of the data; the highest, H, about 30%. A logo spends some of that margin: the reader treats the covered area as damage and fills it in.

So a code with a logo should use level H. Our generator switches to it automatically when you add one.

How big the logo can be

Keep the logo under about 30% of the code’s width. That’s the limit in our generator, and it leaves the rest of the margin for real damage: scratches, folds, glare. Around 20% is comfortable for print. Larger logos sometimes scan on a screen in good light, but printed codes rarely get good light.

Where it goes

In the center. The three large squares in the corners are how a phone finds the code and works out its angle; cover one and the code may not be found at all. Larger codes also have smaller alignment squares and thin timing lines between the corners. A centered logo of sensible size stays clear of all of them.

Give the logo a little clear space around it, so the code’s squares don’t run into its edges. A logo with a transparent or white background sits most cleanly.

Color

The rules are the same as for any code: dark squares on a light background, with strong contrast. A code in your brand’s dark blue is fine. A pale yellow one isn’t. Keep the corner squares as dark as the rest.

Check the design, then check the print

Every design should be scanned before it’s used. Our generator reads the finished code back before you download it, and warns you if the design is risky for print. After that, print one copy at the real size on the real material and scan it with two or three phones. A logo that’s fine on a screen can fail when the print is small or the paper is glossy.