QR Mosaics
Synthesis of art and technology
Form vs Function
When choosing a product, we are frequently presented with choices where those choices compete on certain aspects of the product. These choices often appear on a scale; the more we have of one thing, the less we can have of another thing.
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A product selection choice we often make is "form vs function". The form, also called aesthetics, is how attractive a thing appears to the human eye. The function, as the name suggests is how useful a thing is.
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For example, when selecting a watch, one might select a digital watch with scores of features such as a stopwatch or alarms, but increasing those features often clutters the watch reducing its attractiveness Alternatively, a simple analog watch can look beautiful but lacks function beyond the telling of the time. Some manufacturers look for designs that increase both aspects and maintain balance, but these products tend to be particularly expensive.
QR codes also exhibits this form/function trade-off.
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Almost without exception, QR codes have been typically produced to maximize function without any consideration of form. A black and white QR code on a laminated A4 paper presented a shop window is 100% function and 0% form. It is as scannable as possible but is not intended to look nice.
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Conversely, an artist-produced mosaic bought from an art shop will tend to be attractive, perhaps convey some abstract meaning and representation, but will be devoid of function (or at least devoid of technical function).
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QR mosaics are made to capture the form of an attractive mosaic and provide a simple but effective function: to direct visitors to a website of the owners choosing, through an interesting and memorable experience. It doesn't maximize form: It is not likely to appear as attractive and rich as an artist-designed mosaic. It doesn't maximize function: it is not loaded with features, it has one simple feature which is to be scannable by QR readers. Some features that affect the scanability are the contrast in tile colors, the depth of the border and surround, the space between the tiles etc, and these aspects are not maximized for functionality. Hence the QR mosaic is not likely to be as scannable as a laminated black and white piece of paper.
However, all of the mosaics produced by QR Mosaics are scannable by a wide range of quality QR readers, and also the QR readers built into the camera apps that run on iOS and Android phones.
From experience, the iOS camera has an odd property of being "long-sighted", it scans adequately but prefers to be positioned some distance from the QR code. This is true of scanning a standard black and white A4-paper code, as well as a QR mosaic.
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The golden rule of scanability
If a QR Mosaic, appearing on any of the pages on this website (From a desktop, or smartphone), then it will be scannable in real life by the same QR reader. Feel free to scan the images you see on the screen to test scanability, or use the generate button to see how QR mosaic will look from your design choices, and scan the QR mosaic produced. Some scan tests have been conducted on the premade mosaics to provide a scan rating to aid you. See the scan ratings page for more information.
When positioning a mosaic, it is important to take into account glare, in the same way one should try to reduce glare on a paper-based QR image. It may be a good idea to remove the glass from the frame to reduce glare. Most of the frames come with glass, some do not.