The QR code was developed by Toyota-subsidiary Denso in the 1990s as a means of tracking automotive manufacture. Since then the two-dimensional codes have become ubiquitous, largely because they can easily be read using a smartphone.
The less-than-beautiful appearance of the codes probably did not matter much when they were only stuck on car parts, but now they are found on websites and all sorts of printed promotional material, There cannot be many designers who look at QR codes with feelings other than of despair.
Israeli startup Visulead says its technology reduces the look of a standard QR code by as much as 70%. So far it has reached generation two of its patent-pending design. The next generation, due in a few months, will reduce the QR code to little more than a box showing the viewer where to scan, according to The Next Web.
"We think of our product as the ultimate marriage of QR code and image recognition technologies; essentially, an invisible QR code," said co-founder and CEO Nevo Alva.
These visual QR codes are designed primarily for marketers and advertisers, but individuals can make their own codes on Visualead's site for free. Users who can a free code will be taken to a short landing page before continuing on to their intended destination. Small businesses can pay $14 per QR code to skip the intermediary page. The company is also working with brands to offer its services on a larger scale, complete with analytic reports?
Visualead was founded early 2012 and raised $750,000 from Kaedan Capital Investment Group and angel investors last April.