Bar Codes Gone Wild

Sometimes it pays to think outside the lines.

Vanity Barcodes co-founders Reuben and Yael Miller are building a budding business by taking the lines that make up product bar codes and turning them into creative illustrations and silhouettes. The Millers’ goal is to help businesses take advantage of what they describe as “the little known marketing potential of decorative-yet-functional UPC bar codes.”

The company offers an ever-growing library of stock bar code designs, including a garden, a loaf of bread, an ice cream sandwich and a cow. Custom bar codes are also an option.

Yael Miller insists that customizing the design of the bar code sequence creates a powerful brand asset because it engages consumers and transmits an additional layer of brand messaging.

"As a designer by trade, I wanted to create designs that I would be proud to put on my own packaging designs,” she says. “We think we've raised the bar on quality and creativity while keeping prices accessible to the average business owner.”

All bar codes are pre-tested for scan compliance to ensure that they work just as well as standard bar codes. Pricing ranges from $375 for a single design to $200 for 10 or more; supported code formats include UPC, EAN, JAN, ISSN, ISMN, UCC EAN-128 and GS1-128.