I built this using AI, so full disclosure up top. It's called zest. Designing is free, there's no account needed, and the static codes you download never expire. In 2026, QR codes are basically an IRL plugin for anyone with a smartphone. Plastered everywhere. Sometimes overused, often underutilized. As a designer my relationship with them is ambiguous, and after a decade of them popping up on everything, I'm tired of plain squares. So I made zest. It weaves your brand (or any image) into the data of the code itself. There are 5 woven looks, from subtle to full-on detail, plus a Classic one. How it started I work in print media, so QRs are always coming across the desk. Leveraging AI, I set out to build the tool I longed for. Once the engine worked, I started throwing random images at it for testing. Then I fed it the Mona Lisa, printed it out big, and it scanned. That's when I decided to turn this into a real product. The short version of how: a QR code has spare room built in (padding and error correction). zest uses that room to push the dots toward your image's lights and darks, then reads the result back, dot by dot, before you can download it. How it works 5 Steps: Paste your link >> Pick a logo (grabs the site's favicon by default if available) >> Pick a look >> Tune it: detail, colors, placement >> Download I tried to make it as quick and intuitive as I could, but there's a full design studio there if you like to refine. Every file can be saved as SVG, PNG and a vector print PDF (black prints as 100% K). And you only pay when you're ready to download. Animated codes QR codes are intended for print, but I keep seeing them on screens lately. So I thought, damn, why not take it a step further and animate them. Getting every frame of the animation to scan took some doing, but it works, and honestly it feels like magic. Use a preset or upload your own GIF. They download as GIF or video (Pro). 18 animations that scan on every frame, plus your own GIF. 6 Showpiece animations lean more form than function: the QR data breaks apart and rebuilds, then holds still long enough to scan reliably. Smart Codes I learned some stuff along the way. I thought dynamic codes just let you repoint the destination and get scan counts. Nope. You can apply rules: different phones can go to different places from the same printed code (iPhones to the App Store, Android to Google Play). Different time of day? Different destination (breakfast menu before 11, lunch after), no repointing necessary. Set it once and forget it till you have to adjust. For businesses, there are two things I'm pretty hyped on: Lucky Scans: turns your code into an instant-win game. Each scan has a 1-in-X chance (you set the odds) of landing on a “You won!” screen first: a free coffee, a discount, whatever you choose. They show it at the counter to claim. Everyone else goes straight to your link like normal. One play per phone per day (a cookie on their phone remembers it), no purchase needed. Official rules and limits are on our site. Stamp cards: a digital punch card that lives on the scanner's phone, no app and no sign-up. A throwback to the punch cards of yesteryear at your local cafe: buy 4, the 5th coffee's free. And similar campaigns. Drive engagement, increase foot traffic. Get someone who wasn't going to spend money that day in through the door. Stamps are checked at the counter (a staff PIN, or a screen whose code changes every minute), one a day, so nobody farms them from home. Pricing Designing is completely free. Play with it as long as you want. Pass, $4 one-time: 14 days of unlimited downloads. Static codes only, but nothing you make will ever stop working (unless the print gets wrecked). Good for messing around or home projects. Pro, $12/mo: everything in Pass, plus animated codes, 25 smart codes with smart rules, batch tools, a dashboard with scan stats, and an InDesign plugin (Figma's coming soon, pending community approval). Business, $30/mo: everything in Pro, plus Lucky Scans, stamp cards and 45 smart codes. Built for shops, cafes and campaigns. I built this as a B2B tool primarily: for designers making codes for their clients, and for the shops and cafes those clients run. I’m glad to have it in my toolbox, and think I’ve priced it competitively for what it offers. If you can sell one client on a smart QR with the bells and whistles, it should cover the subscription. I'm hoping some fellow designers find it useful in their work. Maybe it even helps land a local client or two. That's my plan, anyway. Works with the tools you already use I'm a very workflow-conscious person, always trying to maximize my efficiency. That's why I made plugins that put the zest engine right inside the tools we spend most of our time in. zest for InDesign: InDesign's native QR code system is trash. Basic options, syntax-dependent. My plugin brings all the options along with tools from the zest studio right into your workspace, & placed directly on the page. It's not on the Adobe marketplace yet: download it from the site and double-click the file to install it through Adobe CC. zest for Figma: coming soon. Same deal as InDesign. The plugin is built, just pending community approval from Figma. Would love feedback: Does the home page tell you what it does in 5 seconds? Do the prices feel right? What breaks on your phone? Any problems with the plugins? These are my latest additions, so they've had less testing than other features. What would you make with this? Wanna try it out? zest.lemoncello.studio   submitted by   /u/VibinVentricles [link]   [comments]