Why Use A Boring QR Code?

I am the event photographer for the Fiocchi Cup at Ben Avery Clay Target Center this weekend.  So it looks like I get to photograph in the rain. 

Come rain or shine, shotgun shooters are enthusiastic about their clay sports.  As long as lightning strikes are at least 10 miles away, these guys continue to yell "pull" regardless of how hard it's raining. And a few don't care about how close the lightning is, crazy I know.

As I'm giving final thought to my workflow this weekend, I realized that I needed to have a flyer of some sort that the shotgun shooters can walk away with.  They need to know where to find the pictures I'm capturing this weekend.

One of the items on the flyer should be a QR code. That'll make it easier to find the web site and direct the reader straight to my EVENTS page on www.TomArgiro.com

If you don't know what a QR code is, they are the little digital black and white blocks that you see on the bottom right corner of marketing materials.  One that I created this morning looks like this:

So I started incorporating the QR code it into the marketing piece that I will be handing out this weekend.  Boring flyer, boring little black box, tucked away in the bottom right corner of the flyer. 

One of my fears began to creep in.  I heard a quiet voice in the back of my head getting louder as I worked on the flyer.  My concern is that these QR codes are becoming so commonplace now that people don't even notice them.  If you don't notice the QR code, how can you be compelled to click on it? 

It was time to give myself a creative challenge.  How can I use the boring QR code in a different way than I normally see them used? 

I really want the QR code, and the overall design of the flyer, to capture the viewer's attention.  So I asked "What am I focused on when I'm busting clay?" 

A handful of items came to mind.  My posture, the gun mount, the sight picture, where my feet are on the ground, my eye and ear protection, my pocket full of shotgun shells, and the six and a half pound shotgun in my hands.  So I closed my eyes and ran through how all of that feels.  Then I quietly said "pull" and the obvious answer came to me.  A Zen-like focus on "the clay" begins to take over my entire being.  After the focus on the clay is over, I realize that I heard a big bang, felt the recoil, and can smell the burnt powder. 

The little orange clay disc is it.  That's where I want the viewer's attention to be.  And that's where the QR code will go.

Next step was to dig through my archives of images that I've captured, preferably at the range, that contains a design element that will draw the viewer to the clay.

I also needed to add my branding text and my phone number.  There's a good chance that not everyone has a smart phone, or likes to use the QR codes, so I also needed text that will tell the view where to find the images the old fashioned (sort of) way, on a web page on the internet.

Here's the final piece:

I also settled on a bookmarker because a flyer seemed too big.  I didn't need all of the real estate to convey the message. 

Now have a marketing piece that (I hope) is "sticky" and will not be thrown out or lost in a pile of other stuff.  Again thinking old school, some of us still actually read physical, printed books.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.  Did I meet my own expectations?  Is the QR code easy to see, part of the message, compelling you to scan it and see where it goes?

You can reach Tom Argiro Portrait Photography at 855-650-3500, or info@TomArgiro.com.  He is also available on facebook, his website, his blog, Linked In, and Twitter. 625 W Deer Valley Road, Suite 103-250, Phoenix AZ 85027