Someone sent me a link to some amazing Japanese barcodes this morning.
These are by D-Barcode, a Japanese company whose website’s title is “BIG IDEAS ARE SMALL, DESIGN BARCODE.” Unfortunately the rest of the site is in Japanese so I can’t find out more but it’s a lovely idea, making the barcode part of the package design rather than the more usual white rectangle tacked on at the end. As Weird Asia News put it:
It is said that barcodes are the bane of the modern graphic designer. Many distribution people compound the headache by insisting on conspicuous white rectangles, which may or may not fit the context involved. The changes are little and subtle, and yet at the same time, enormous.
Now picking up a bottle or box at the supermarket may bring a smile to your face, not because of a price reduction but rather form a funny unexpected face or form smiling back at you from the label on the back of the package.
These do seem to complement the product designs - I can’t tell if the bar codes are in use on these products or if these are mock ups to show possibilities.. I’ll be checking the local shops stock of Ecover later!
You can see more of these creative barcodes and the products they appear on here.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Wow that is great. I would have never thought of something like this. Thanks for sharing. I don’t do a lot of package design but the next barcode that comes across my desk is getting this treatment.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Very cool stuff. One thing I noticed about Japan was that the QR / 3D codes were EVERYWHERE. I wish they were as prevalent in the states. Scanning them with my rented camera phone immediately brought me to whatever site dictated. Extremely useful for marketing.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Its nice to see the barcodes being given some love but there are technical constraints about the amount of white space (quiet zone) required around them. There is certainly no need for them to be ‘boring’ black and white and the white space depends on standards etc. So if you’re planning to produce some more interesting designs I reckon a quick glance over the UPC/EAN standards might be a good idea so that they actually work. BTW you might also like to see http://barcode-plantage.com which animates a tree out of any barcode - fun!
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 am
Hello, I Like to buy a new Prada Lg II. mobile phone for x-mas
I’m living in Hungary…o you know any contacts in Austria or Germany…
Any idea? Thnx a lot
December 4th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Fantastic, thanks for the link James!