Design the page your QR code opens: phone-first, one action, a URL you own
A QR code is a promise printed on paper: scan this and something useful happens. The page it opens decides whether that promise is kept. It's read on a phone, often outdoors or in a queue, by someone who gave it a few seconds. And once the code is printed, the address can't change. Here's how to design that page, and how Anticode builds it on an address you control.
Where the scan happens shapes the page
Think about the physical moment. A poster at a bus stop: standing, glare on the screen, one hand free. A table tent in a café: sitting, unhurried, but they came for coffee. A flyer through the door: at home, possibly days later. Product packaging: holding the product, wanting instructions. The page for each should be different, and each should match what the printed piece said would happen.
| Printed on | The scanner wants | The page should lead with |
|---|---|---|
| Event poster | Date, place, tickets | The event details and one booking or ticket button |
| Restaurant table | Menu or allergens | The menu itself, not a home page |
| Packaging | Setup or care instructions | Step one of the instructions |
| Shop window | Opening hours, what's inside | Hours and a reason to come in |
| Business card or stand | Who you are, how to reach you | Contact buttons |
Designing for a phone in poor light
- The first screen does the job. The headline repeats the printed promise, and the main action sits above the fold.
- Large, high-contrast text. Outdoor glare washes out light grey on white. Dark text on a light background, or the reverse, with no text over photos.
- Big tap targets. A thumb, possibly in a glove.
- Fast on weak signal. No heavy video, no scripts to load before the content appears.
- No pop-ups. A cookie banner or newsletter overlay on a scanned page is the quickest way to lose the person.
- One action. Book, buy, read the menu, call. Secondary links can sit lower down.
Anticode's published pages carry no scripts, so there's nothing to wait for beyond the HTML, CSS and images, and no cookie banner is needed for tracking because there is no tracking code. The design gate won't publish a page without a phone viewport and visible focus states, and the Critic checks things such as body text size. Choose the Light theme and a strong action colour for outdoor use.
An address that outlives the print run
The most expensive QR mistake is a code that stops working after the posters are up. It happens in two ways: the page is moved or deleted, or the code points at a "dynamic QR" service's short link, which stops redirecting when the subscription lapses.
The safer pattern is to encode an address you own, such as yourcafe.co.uk/menu or spring.yourfestival.org, and to keep that address working for as long as the print is in circulation. On Anticode's paid plans you can connect your own domain or a subdomain to a site with a CNAME or TXT record; the certificate is issued automatically. You can then rebuild the page as often as you like, change the menu, update the event, and the printed code keeps working because the address never changes. See connecting a custom domain.
A free name.anticode.dev address also stays the same between edits, but your own domain means you could move the page elsewhere later without reprinting.
Measuring scans
Anticode's dashboard counts page views per site per day, by source, without cookies. Scans from a camera usually arrive with no referrer, so they show up as direct visits rather than as "QR". Two practical ways to read them:
- Watch the timing. A rise in views the day the flyers go out, or during the event, is your scan count.
- Give a campaign its own small site. Separate projects keep separate counts, which helps when several printed pieces run at once. The microsite page covers that approach.
Building it
Describe the printed piece and what the scan should lead to: "a QR code landing page for the menu at Lantern Café, phone-first, with allergens and opening hours". The Architect asks where the answer changes the page, and the design engine builds a short, phone-first landing page. Publish, test the live address on two or three phones in daylight, then make the QR code with any generator using that exact address, and print a test copy before the full run.
Limits
- No QR code generator. Anticode builds the page, not the code.
- No per-code scan tracking. You see daily views and sources, not which poster was scanned.
- No redirects. If you retire the page, the address has nothing to forward to; keep a simple page there instead.
- Custom domains need a paid plan. See pricing.
Questions people ask
Should a QR code go to my home page?
Rarely. Send it to the page that delivers what the print promised: the menu, the event, the instructions. A home page makes the scanner hunt.
Are dynamic QR codes worth paying for?
They let you change the destination later, but tie your printed codes to that service. Encoding your own domain gives you the same flexibility without the dependency.
How big should a printed QR code be?
Big enough to scan from where people will stand. Test a printed sample at real distance before the full run.