QR codes are literally everywhere these days and they are so convenient! If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to create one for your business, Canva’s got you. In this post, we’ll explore Canva’s built-in QR code apps and how to use them to make customized codes. Whether you want a basic black-and-white code or something more polished, Canva offers options.
1. Go To Canva.com And Create A New Design
Create a new design or open an existing one where you intend to place your QR code.
2. Search For QR Code Apps
On the left side of the screen, you’ll see the bar with Designs, Elements, Text, Brand, etc. The last thing listed should be Apps. Click on Apps and then type QR code in the search bar.
3. Choose a QR code app
There are a few different QR code apps so you can try all of them to see how you like them.
QR Code
The first one called “QR code” is the simplest one and if you’re looking to create just a regular QR code with nothing special added. It lets you pick a color for the background and the actual code. Try choosing 2 colors that give you enough contrast for the QR code to stand out so that it can be easily scanned. This one doesn’t require you to link an external account and you can be done in literally 30 seconds.
Flowcode
My second favorite is the flowcode app. Flowcode has their own website where you can create QR codes Flowcode.com, but this app allows you to do it right in Canva.
They let you customize the color, the shape of the pattern to make it look really unique, and you can also add your logo! Flowcode is also known for their circle-shaped QR codes, so they will definitely stand out. The only thing I don’t like is that their QR codes say Flowcode and flowcode.com on them. They will also make you sign up for an account with Flowcode before they finalize your design. Not ideal, but it only takes a minute and its free.
Dynamic QR Codes (Hovercode)
The third app I really like is called Dynamic QR Codes and it gives you the most customization options out of the three which is what makes it my absolute favorite. You will choose from a few QR code “templates”. Pick the style that you like and then you can customize it by changing the color, pattern shape and you can also add your logo.
What makes this one stand out is its ability to create dynamic QR codes. This means you can change where the code directs people to without altering the code itself.
For example, let’s say you add a Hovercode QR code to your business cards that goes to your Etsy shop. After printing the cards, you create a new website and want to send traffic there instead.
With a regular static QR code, you’d have to print new cards with an updated code pointing to the website. But with a Hovercode dynamic code, you can just login and change the destination to your new website URL. The QR code itself stays the same.
This flexibility is extremely useful if you print QR codes on any materials. Dynamic codes let you update the link or content without having to reprint anything. So you can respond to changes faster and avoid waste.
These are my favorite, especially since some of the other ones require you to go to their website and create an account and then link that account to the app within Canva and ain’t nobody got time for that. If you do want to experiment with some of the other ones, I encourage it since you might find some features the other 3 apps I listed above don’t have and that might be useful to you. If you do stumble upon something really cool, feel free to shoot me an email and tell me about it, I’d love to hear from you – hello@thenondesigner.co