How to Create a QR Code with Custom Logo and Colors

A plain black-and-white QR code works, but it does not say anything about your brand. Adding a logo and custom colors transforms a generic square into a branded touchpoint that customers recognize and trust. The key to doing this successfully lies in understanding QR code error correction — the built-in redundancy that allows a QR code to remain scannable even when part of it is covered.

Error Correction Levels Explained

QR codes were designed to work in harsh environments — factory floors, damaged labels, partially obscured stickers. They achieve this through Reed-Solomon error correction, which encodes redundant data that allows scanners to reconstruct the original information even when parts of the code are missing or damaged.

There are four error correction levels:

The tradeoff is density: higher error correction means more data modules in the QR code, making it slightly larger or denser. But for most use cases, Level H is the right choice when you plan to add a logo, because it gives you a 30% damage tolerance — more than enough for a centered logo.

Why Level H Allows Logos

When you place a logo in the center of a QR code, you are effectively "damaging" that portion of the code — the scanner cannot read the modules hidden behind the logo. With Level H error correction, the scanner can reconstruct up to 30% of the data from the remaining visible modules.

A logo covering 20% of the QR code area leaves plenty of margin within that 30% tolerance. In practice, this means you can place a square or circular logo right in the center of a Level H QR code, and it will scan reliably on every device.

The center is the optimal position because QR codes have three large finder patterns in the corners (the three big squares) and alignment patterns distributed throughout. Placing the logo in the center avoids these critical structural elements.

Best Practices for Logo Size and Placement

• Keep the logo under 25% of the QR area. For a 300x300 QR code, your logo should be no larger than 75x75 pixels. Going up to 30% works in theory but leaves zero margin for error.
• Use a simple, high-contrast logo. A detailed logo with many fine lines will be hard to see at QR code sizes. Use your logo mark or icon, not the full wordmark.
• Add a white (or background-colored) padding around the logo. A small margin between the logo edge and the QR modules improves readability for both humans and scanners.
• Center the logo precisely. Off-center logos look unprofessional and may overlap with alignment patterns or finder patterns, reducing scannability.
• Always test after creating. Scan the final QR code with at least 3 different devices (iPhone, Android, a tablet) in different lighting conditions.

Choosing Colors That Stay Scannable

Color customization makes QR codes more visually appealing, but the wrong choices will break them. QR scanners detect the contrast between dark modules and light background. Here are the rules:

• Dark foreground on light background. This is the standard direction. Dark blue on white, dark green on cream, or maroon on light pink all work. Inverting (light modules on dark background) fails on many scanners.
• Maintain at least 40% brightness difference. A dark navy (#1A1A5E) on white (#FFFFFF) has excellent contrast. Medium gray (#808080) on light gray (#D0D0D0) does not.
• Avoid gradients on the modules. The modules themselves (the small squares) should be a solid color. Gradient backgrounds behind the QR code are fine as long as contrast is maintained.
• Avoid red and green together. Approximately 8% of males have red-green color blindness. Additionally, some scanner algorithms struggle with red/green combinations.

Need to find the exact hex values from your brand colors? Our Color Palette Extractor can pull colors directly from your logo or brand images.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Level L with a logo. Level L only tolerates 7% damage. Any logo will likely make the code unscannable.
2. Making the QR code too small. Branded QR codes are denser than plain ones (due to Level H). Print them at least 2cm x 2cm, ideally 3cm+ for reliable scanning.
3. Skipping the quiet zone. QR codes need a white border (quiet zone) around them — at least 4 modules wide. Cropping this border can cause scan failures.
4. Not testing in real conditions. A QR code that scans on your screen might not scan when printed on a dark background, a curved surface, or behind glass.