Barcodes are very useful, allow encoding a number in a small space and they leave the task of interpreting that number to a very simple reader, the problem is that on many occasions designers do not want to include something that breaks so much with the worked aesthetics of their product. The Irish designer Steve Simpson has several proposals that will guide you in unite the barcode with the product or packaging design, making everything fit.
If we adapt the barcode correctly, its functionality will not be affected and we will not have an element foreign to our design.
How to design a barcode and keep it working?
Code readers or scanners are devices that, using a laser, project a horizontal beam of light that, when reflected in the scanner, can check the darkest areas, spaces and thicknesses, they serve to feed the algorithm that converts this graphic code to a number. We must not forget that by agreement the numbers are included at the bottom of the barcode, so if the bar sequence breaks, it can still be used manually.
Knowing these concepts, we understand that the barcode does not need to be high enough to be scanned comfortably, so as designers or creatives we can play with the rest of the elements and colors to make our barcode embedded in the design.
If you want to be sure that your code works correctly you can download an application for your smartphone, there are quite a few and most of them are free and work perfectly.
Steve Simpson is a specialist in this task and in his portfolio he has a good number of examples that you can find in the designs of his products. As you can see, you will be able to make really complicated designs and the barcode will continue to work, as long as you respect the rules and think about how the readers work.
Page of Steve Simpson with Product Design Examples