# Beautified Barcodes Aestheticodes by Steve Benford Embodies 'Visual Code Recognition Technology' By Meghan Young | Published 2014-01-17 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aestheticodes-by-steve-benford References: [fastcolabs](http://www.fastcolabs.com/3025058/would-barcodes-work-better-if-theyre-beautiful) & [itunes.apple](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aestheticodes/id703429621?mt=8) Aestheticodes by Steve Benford, a professor in the Mixed Reality Lab at the [University of Nottingham](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/apple-1), England, is a solution to the poor performance of QR codes. They are in essence beautified barcodes that capture people's attention on an aesthetic level as well as a practical one. Fast Co. Labs points out that "consumers will only use technologies that are people friendly." Yet Aestheticodes by Steve Benford introduce a new experience based that builds on such existing technology as [barcodes and QR codes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/barcode-reader). He has dubbed the experience as "visual code recognition technology." His goal is to decorate the world with these interesting, interactive surfaces. He hopes to achieve this goal by using a technique invented by Enrico Costanza, which involves the topology of an image as a way of encoding information. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.0/10 - Popularity: 82% | Activity: 90% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Decorative Barcodes:** The use of aesthetically pleasing barcodes that capture attention on an aesthetic level, presenting a disruptive innovation opportunity for packaging and marketing industries. - **Visual Code Recognition:** Development of visual code recognition technology as an alternative to traditional barcodes and QR codes, providing disruptive innovation opportunities for retail and tech industries. - **Interactive Surfaces:** Integration of interactive surfaces using visual code recognition technology, opening up disruptive innovation opportunities for interior design and advertising industries. ### Where This Applies - **Packaging:** Utilizing decorative barcodes on packaging materials can revolutionize product identification and tracking processes, presenting disruptive innovation opportunities for the packaging industry. - **Marketing:** Incorporating aesthetically pleasing barcodes in marketing campaigns can enhance brand visibility and consumer engagement, offering disruptive innovation opportunities for the marketing industry. - **Retail:** Implementing visual code recognition technology in retail stores can streamline shopping experiences and enable personalized recommendations, creating disruptive innovation opportunities for the retail industry. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Edible QR Codes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/interiqr.md) - [Artistic QR Codes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qr-artwork-directory.md) - [AI-Enhanced QR Codes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qr-code-barcode.md) - [Custom QR Codes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qr-code-ai-20.md) - [Custom QR Generators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qr-styler.md) - [Branded QR-Powered Retro Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/orca-scan.md) - [Amusement Park QR Readers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/intercard.md) - [Enhanced-AI QR Packaging](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/love-corn.md) - [Accessible RTD Cocktails](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-cocktail-collection-by-ketel-one.md)