Best practices for adding your logo to QR codes

Adding your company logos to your QR codes is the quickest and easiest way to make your QR code match your brand and appear more trustworthy.

How big should the logo be? Does it impact scannability? Can I have the logo as a background image? We answer all of your QR code logo questions and more in this article.

QR codes are designed to have something called “error correction” built into them. This error correction is designed to account for real life situations where something could obstruct part of the QR code (e.g. paint). Even if part of the QR code is obstructed, it can still be scanned reliably.

When we add logos to QR codes, we are essentially covering the center part of the QR code and making use of the built in error correction to ensure that the QR code still scans.

When you use a QR code generator that lets you add a logo, you don’t need to consider things like error correction levels or where to place the logo as it’s all done automatically for you.

Any deviation from the standard black and white QR code impacts scannability. Thankfully, most QR code scanners have no issues at all scanning QR codes with logos. If your design has different colors, a frame, a different pattern, as well as a logo, it might become more challenging to scan. The key is ensuring your design isn't so different from a standard QR code that it's hard to recognise.

Adding a logo isn’t generally an issue, especially if you’re doing it via a QR code generator that supports the feature. If your code is more heavily customised, it’s essential to test that the QR code still scans reliably before printing it. Here's a guide on creating scannable QR codes.

As QR codes are square (yes, even the round ones), you should use a logo or icon that has an equal height and width. Most social media platforms expect a square or circle logo, so it’s likely that you already have one available.

Avoid using a logo with tiny text. As the logo in the center of a QR code, it will be hard to read any small text. A simple icon that can be seen clearly, even when small, is ideal.

In terms of image formats, a JPEG or PNG are the most commonly supported logo types for QR code generators.

We frequently get asked if the logo can be made bigger. It would be great if brands could show their logo more clearly on QR codes, but there's always the risk of making the QR code hard to scan. We prioritise scannability, so limit the logo size to be ~25% the width and height of the QR code.

If you want the logo to appear bigger, one approach is to have it as the background QR code. With this approach, the QR pattern is overlayed over the logo. This doesn't always look great and can make the QR code less reliable, but it's worth testing to see if it works well with your logo.

Some QR code generators offer different ways to display your logo. At Hovercode, you can select whether to make your logo round, or a background image, or a round background image.

Background logos can work well if your logo is fairly simple, but a more complex background logo can cause scannability issues so it’s essential to test.

The easiest way to create a QR code with a logo is to find a QR code generator that supports the feature. Hovercode lets you add your logo to QR codes for free.

Try a regular logo, a round one, or even a background logo. It's as simple as this:

1. Select the QR code type and add the scan destination
2. Design your QR code
3. Upload your logo
4. Optionally select the logo type
5. Generate the QR code

You can now add your branded QR code to posters, leaflets, business cards, or wherever you want potential customers to engage and take the next step with your business.