Quick Response Codes

 This QR Code was created at http://qrcode.kaywa.com and leads back to the home page of this blog.

 Adding a QR Code to a product instantly creates an access point to additional information for the viewer. One can simply snap a shot with their smartphone app and this QR Code will link the person to a URL, a phone number, an email address, or other similar types of information. This is also not only limited to smartphones, but to many products with the ability to download a QR Code reader app with image input.

According to Wikipedia references, these "matrix bar codes" are beneficial for many reasons, including the fact that the QR Codes can be placed just about anywhere. They "may appear in magazines, on signs, on buses, on business cards, or on almost any object about which users might need information." One example of how a QR Code can be used is that a designer can create a flyer for an upcoming event and use most of the document space for design and appeal and leave additional information to the QR Code. When a viewer uses the QR Code, he or she may be led to a URL that includes more information.

Notepad: Self Promotion

I will be designing a professional, self-promotion notepad for my next project. The idea is to create a notepad that will be an immediate statement or representation of who I am and what I am capable of, also leading persons to my blog page through the use of a QR code that will be incorporated into the design of the notepad.


With this project I am hoping to catch the attention of prospective employers who may notice the elements of my notepad creation, causing enough curiosity for them to use the QR code to link to my Blogger page to find out more. By having all of the specifications for the project, I was able to get a pricing quote on the notepad.


Target Audience

• Prospective employers

Call to Action

• Follow the QR code to my Blogger page

Print Pricing

• $ 3.03 per individual notepad. If more than one is order then price will be $3.03 for the first notepad and $2.79 for consecutive notepads.

Specifications

• Black/White
• 5x7 or 7x5
• Bleed .125
• Margin .25
• 50 sheets per pad
• Padded with a chipboard back

To get the project going quickly in a good direction, I'm going to begin with a Word Matrix to help me pin point a few qualities I may like to focus in on for the project.

 After completing both idea webs to help focus my thoughts I focused in on a couple of different attributes I feel are important to me and began sketching thumbnails of the notepad, to get more ideas flowing. Not all of the thumbnail sketches are 100% relevant to the direction I am wanting to go in, but most are and I made several. I try never to reign in my creativity, no matter how far out in left field it goes, when creating thumbnail versions--to explore is the purpose!

After working on the thumbnail sketches, I decided which ones I believed would represent my purpose the best, which ended up being a combination of three. Below is an image of my rough draft.

After an in-class critique and a little more thought about what would best illustrate the ideas I'm trying to put out, I decided to clean up the design a bit more. The final PDF is below. I was reminded that the notepad will speak volumes about my ability to utilize design software to output quality products, making it less necessary to include every single little detail. I used words surrounding my name that link to my future plans of a career in writing or the skills/areas I am trained in now, and my design ability was represented by my manipulation of typography, by the layout of the page, and by the ink bottle illustration. I also believe that using a QR Code makes a statement about keeping up to date with technology and using it to the full advantage.
 


I received a phone call today letting me know the notepads I ordered were ready for pick-up. Below is a photo of the finished product.

All images were created by Robin Mooney