If a bar code is a police officer, then a QR code is a SWAT team.

Confused? I'll make sense of that right now.

QR codes, or Quick Response Codes, are a two dimensional, high-data barcode that's designed to be scanned at a high speed. Compared to a regular one dimensional bar code which are limited to only 20 digits, a total of 7,089 characters can be encoded in one symbol alone.

Once scanned, your smartphone will load up the mobile web address that was embedded in the code or even a prompt to download an app straight. That SWAT comparison is starting to make sense now, huh?

You may be surprised that these actually created in 1994 by Japanese corporation Densowave (surprised it was in 1994, not Japan), but since all of our phones were so technologically basic at the time, QR codes didn't really get the attention it deserved. Now that everyone spends more time on their phone then they do sleeping, and that phone applications are as popular as fashion trends, QR code ultilization has skyrocketed... and will continue to do so.

So how does this process work so efficiently?

There are three anchor points or 'Finder Patterns' that allow your mobile device to quickly align andidentify the rest of the code layout. The design is then read and decoded horizontally and vertically. Those anchor points allow the code to be scanned at any angle, making the scanning/capturing process very easy to achieve.

You can imagine that these codes are being used on all fronts of printed advertisings, but that's certainly not where it ends. From clothing and jewelry, prescription bottles, to even wedding cakes, even embedded into video games, the limitations are only defined by where you can't point your camera phone.

As I'm sure you've already thought about a dozen other methods using a QR code, but have you thought about how companies can profit from them? It's almost as abundant as the methods provided. Coupons, newsletters, videos, downloadable wallpaper/ringtones, marketplaces, census data, sweepstakes, tracking and much more can be offered to customers. For your sales department, these codes are turning everyones phones into direct response devices. I don't have to show clever statistics to prove that this is going to be one of the most profitable (and inexpensive) marketing strategies for companies, big and small, to use this year (and the next few years to come).

We know the potential, we've seen a ton of examples out in the real world. Now we're all waiting for that captilizing moment where a company, viral video, or SNL skit will blow up this trend from being a blip on the radar to defining its place in our everyday lives.

Blogged by Nick Sears - Motion Designer - rVue