A QR code with a logo sitting cleanly in the center looks custom-made and professional. It also looks like it shouldn't work — you're covering up part of the code. Here's why it does, and how to do it without ending up with a code that only scans half the time.
QR codes are built to survive damage
Every QR code is encoded with error correction: extra, redundant data baked in specifically so the code still reads correctly even if part of it is dirty, torn, or covered. Our QR Code Generator lets you choose the level directly:
- L (Low) — ~7% of the code can be damaged and it'll still scan
- M (Medium) — ~15%
- Q (Quartile) — ~25%
- H (High) — ~30%
A centered logo covering a modest chunk of the middle is exactly the kind of "damage" this was designed for — which is why H is the level to pick whenever you're adding one.
The other three things that matter
Keep the logo small. Even with H-level correction, a logo covering much more than 20–25% of the code's area is pushing your luck, especially at smaller print sizes. FileKit's generator caps logo overlay at a sensible size for exactly this reason.
Keep contrast high. A code with a light foreground on a light background is fragile even before you add a logo. Stick to dark-on-light, or a strongly contrasting brand color pair, and test it.
Always test-scan before you print 500 of them. Generate it, pull it up on a second phone, and scan it in the lighting conditions it'll actually be seen in — a poster in direct sun behaves differently than a screen.
A quick checklist
- Set error correction to H.
- Add your logo — keep it centered and modestly sized.
- Keep foreground/background contrast strong.
- Export as SVG if it's going to print (it stays sharp at any size); export as PNG for screens and social posts.
- Scan it yourself, on a real device, before it goes anywhere public.