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QRMax Blog
March 25, 20263 min read

How to Add a Logo to a QR Code — Best Practices for Branded QR Codes

Add your logo to a QR code without breaking scannability. Learn sizing, placement, error correction, and design tips.

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A QR code with your logo looks professional and builds trust — people are more likely to scan a branded code than a generic black-and-white grid. Here's how to add a logo correctly using QRMax.

How Logo Overlay Works

A logo placed over a QR code physically covers some of the data modules. The code still scans because QR codes have built-in error correction — redundant data that lets the scanner reconstruct missing parts. You're essentially "damaging" the code on purpose and relying on error correction to compensate.

  1. Open QRMax and create your QR code (URL, vCard, etc.)
  2. Set error correction to H (High, 30%) — this is mandatory for logo overlays
  3. Upload your logo in the customization panel
  4. Adjust logo size — keep it under 20% of the total QR code area
  5. Add white padding around the logo (QRMax does this automatically)
  6. Test scan the result with at least two different phones before printing

Logo Sizing Rules

Logo Size (% of QR area)Error Correction NeededScan Reliability
Under 10%M (15%) is sufficientExcellent
10-15%Q (25%) recommendedVery good
15-20%H (30%) requiredGood
20-25%H (30%) — riskyMay fail on some devices
Over 25%Not possibleWill not scan

Best Logo Formats

  • SVG — best quality, scales perfectly at any QR size
  • PNG with transparency — good for logos with irregular shapes
  • Simple, high-contrast designs — detailed logos become illegible at QR-code scale
  • Square or circular shapes — fit the center area best
Avoid logos with thin lines, small text, or gradients. At the scale of a QR code center, these details become noise.

Common Mistakes

Using error correction L or M with a logo: The logo covers more data than the code can recover. Result: broken QR code. Making the logo too large: Covering more than 20% of the QR area means even H-level correction can't save it. No padding around the logo: Without a white buffer, the logo's edge pixels merge with adjacent modules, confusing the scanner. Using a colored logo on a colored QR code: If the logo and QR modules are similar colors, the scanner can't distinguish the boundary.

Does adding a logo make the QR code bigger?

Indirectly, yes. Switching from error correction M to H adds more data modules, which makes the overall pattern larger for the same content. Using a dynamic QR code with its short redirect URL minimizes this increase.

Can I add a logo to an existing QR code image?

You can overlay a logo in image editing software, but you risk covering critical modules without the error correction to support it. Always generate the code with the logo built-in using QRMax to ensure the error correction is configured correctly.

Use a white background (or a white circle/square behind the logo). Transparency lets the QR modules show through the logo, which looks messy and confuses scanners.

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