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.