Main Project: QR Codes

In order to reduce packaging but provide the necessary information and some extras to tie into advertising Lea & Perrins and promoting green issues, I have been looking into QR codes and how they can enhance the product. A QR code can be scanned by a smart phone and transport the user to a mobile site or app, but how can I utilise this in my design?

What is a QR Code?
Taken from http://www.whatisaqrcode.co.uk/

A QR, or Quick Response, Code is a two-dimensional barcode that can be read using smart phones and dedicated QR reading devices that link directly to text, emails, websites and more.

The numbers of smart phone sales continue to increase, and QR Codes can link to the main brands such as iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices, so incorporating QR into the design can have a big impact on advertising and sales.

A standard barcode stores up to 30 numbers, while a QR Code can store up to 7,089 which enables the code to link to a plethora of web pages.

Case Study: Toys 'R' Us
Taken from http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/toys-r-us-continues-to-increase-summer-sales-via-bigger-qr-code-push

Toys 'R' Us have begun to introduce smart phone content into their products, including QR Codes. This article speaks about how in some stores they have replaced some of the larger outdoor items with in-store interactive signage. This saves on shelf space, as well as displaying the product in an outdoor environment via photography on the mobile app, which could be more beneficial than seeing the product itself.

Lea & Perrins redesign

I think incorporating a QR Code into my design will meet Lea & Perrins' desire to attract a new younger audience, who are perhaps more computer-savvy than the current customers. It was stated that as well as attracting a new audience they didn't want to alienate the existing customers, which I don't believe it would as the colours and shape of the packaging would still appeal.

From a 'green' perspective, although it is not an actively sustainable approach to the packaging, it can help to promote environmental issues by way of facts and figures on the webpage. Lea & Perrins would like the inclusion of extra elements like recipe cards, and this is a way of increasing the information given while reducing the information displayed on the label itself. Even if the packaging remains the same, the information would be less cluttered and less ink would be used, which could give the product greater 'shelf stand-out'.