I never knew that one could actually design a barcode. They are so mundane and mechanical in nature that it never occurred to me they could be designed. Then I came across an amazing collection of stylized barcodes for some Japanese products that blew me away. Apparently this phenomenon has become very popular in Japan and their designers are coming up with crazy fun ideas to spruce up the boring old barcode. Here is a sample of some of the most creative ones:
You can view more of these little design gems courtesy of the this website. I wonder if this would ever catch on in the US. There might be some imposed restrictions by the FDA or some other organization that controls the barcode standard but I’m quite sure that there is some wiggle room to get creative here and there. I’m going to try and squeez some fun into the barcode of our next packaging design project and see if it’ll pass.
By Sam Rooeintan
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