September 2014: a canvas built into the format
In its English announcement dated 15 September 2014, DENSO WAVE presented FrameQR, a two-dimensional code with a central area intended for illustrations and photos, among other uses. The manufacturer described a canvas with adjustable shape, size and position.
The same document specified that generation and reading required adapted software. It announced a platform and phone reader for October. This is an announcement timetable: it does not by itself confirm actual availability or which readers are compatible today.
Three layouts based on different choices
Before talking about a “QR code with an image”, separate three possibilities:
- FrameQR: the canvas is part of the format described by DENSO WAVE; the reader must support that format.
- An ordinary QR code with a logo: the image may cover part of the pattern; useful features and readability still need to be preserved.
- A QR code with branding beside it: the visual identity stays outside the code and its clear margin.
Error correction in an ordinary QR code restores damaged data; it does not define an area that can be freely covered. The guide to QR codes with logos explains this limit. A decorative frame around a QR code does not turn it into FrameQR.
A fictional festival plans its flyer around its audience
Imagine the fictional festival “Les Traits Ouverts”. Its poster combines a detailed illustration, the programme and a QR code linking to an already hosted public page. The team wants to keep the illustration visible without requiring visitors to use a particular reader.
It compares two ordinary QR layouts: a small central symbol, then a code without a logo and the full branding beside it. For each, it checks the opened page’s name, reading on the intended phones and recognition of the artwork at its final size.
The caption says “Open the programme” and the address remains readable. The names and event are fictional. The guide to cards and flyers helps organise the support; the guide to colours and backgrounds helps preserve contrast.
Qurl customises an ordinary QR code, not FrameQR
The Qurl generator can encode the programme address and add a logo in the central position provided by its settings. It does not generate FrameQR. External decoration is prepared in the layout, leaving the code’s clear margin free.
Also keep a version without a logo to compare the files. Do not cut a large white area into an exported QR code to imitate another format’s canvas. The guide to how a QR code works explains why this protection does not replace a readable layout.
The right design also depends on the reading journey
For an open audience, first ask what people will be able to use to read the code. In a journey equipped with a specific reader, check its format support before production. Visual resemblance between two codes does not establish compatibility.
Keep a readable route to the programme and essential information on the support. The guide to QR alternatives helps prepare that other entry point. To compare another kind of visual code, the retrospective on Spotify Codes in 2017 also shows why the app and format matter.