How to Use Your Dynamic QR Code Tool

Your dynamic QR code  gives you more flexibility when it comes to where you use your QR codes. This article discusses how to set up your dynamic QR code and redirect it to any of your active Swell sites. Looking for instructions to edit your event-level static QR codes instead? Click here.

Article Navigation:

1. What's a Dynamic QR code and when do I use it?
2. General Settings
3. QR Styling
   1. Changing the color
   2. Changing the shape of the dots
   3. Uploading your logo
4. Downloading the Final Product

What's a Dynamic QR code and when do I use it?

A dynamic code allows you to easily change the link that will pop up for your donors and guests. This means you can feel comfortable printing the code on business cards, coffee mugs, or placing it on a billboard because you can always control and change the link that the code will provide. 

We'll dive into how to configure yours below.

Want to know more about the difference between static and dynamic QR codes? This article will help.

General Settings

Begin by clicking into events as you normally do, but don't select a specific event. Scroll down below your active event and select your event from the drop-down menu and then the page on that event.  

You can choose from several pages:

Click the button.

Once you've selected an event and a page, this section will look like this:

If you want to change where your QR code points, you can come back here to do that at any time. Simply select a new page or new event + page and click the Save Changes button again.

You'll see a preview of your QR code on the right-hand side of your screen.

If you're in a hurry or want to use your code as it is without changing the styling, click the download button () below that image. You can resize the downloaded QR code to any size. If you want to customize the way your QR code looks, keep reading.

Note: Changing the event or page will redirect all of your previously generated QR codes. Your event and page selections are preserved when you click out of this section. Styling changes are not preserved.

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QR Code Styling

Your QR code will work no matter how it's styled. Although these images look different, they both have the same QR code backbone so they both return the same result.

     

Once you've made styling modifications, make sure to download them before exiting the QR code screen. Just as with static QR codes, styling changes aren't preserved when you leave this screen and there is no way to retrieve a previously created design once you've exited this screen.

 

Changing the Color

To change the color of your dots, begin by clicking on the black rectangle next to "Dots color."

If you have a general color in mind, use the slider until you find a color you like. To do that, use the slider, to move into the general color area you'd like for example (blue-green) and then select the exact color by clicking on it in the larger square.         

If there's a specific branding color you and you know the HSL, RGB, or hex code for your it, you can enter that information to choose your specific color rather than using the slider. Use the toggle on the right to choose between HSL, RGB, and HEX.

For example, our Swell branding guide tells me our branding colors are blue and grey, but more specifically,  #44B7E5 (blue) and #999999 (grey). Switching to HEX using the arrows allows me to enter my code.

The QR code in the preview image on the right will show you your customizations as you make them. 

If you're done styling your QR code after changing the dot color, make sure to download your finished design by clicking the download button below your preview.

To continue customizing, read on.

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Changing the shape of the dots

The next customization in the QR code settings changes the shape of the dots.

There are several options from which to choose. Here's what the same QR code looks like with each option:

Square (default)
Dots
Rounded
Extra Rounded
Classy
Classy Rounded

You can stop here or continue editing by adding your logo to the center of the QR code. If you stop here, make sure to download your finished design.

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Uploading Your Logo

To insert your logo into the center of your QR codes choose a .jpg or .png file from your computer. File types like .pdf or .doc won't work here because they are document files instead of image files.

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The Finished Product

Here's what my earlier example would look like if I edited the color, dot shape, and uploaded a logo.

To make it, I changed the color to Swell Grey (#999999), the dots to Classy Rounded, and uploaded my logo. 

Once it's downloaded, it can be resized to fit into any project. 

Remember: It's really important to download your completed design. You won't be able to go back to it once you've left the editing screen. To download your stylized QR code, click the button just below your QR code preview:

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