Inspired by the US Airways in-flight magazine and their fun use of iconic images in QR codes -- and after a chat with my friends at TSDG -- I decided to try embedding an image (my face, of course) into a QR code.

How to create a QR code with an image in the center of it:

1. Creating a QR code is super easy -- http://bit.ly automatically generates one when you shorten a URL. I recommend bit.ly because the original QR code and analytics are all in one place.

2. Take your QR code and open it in your favorite design or imaging program. It takes a bit of trail and error to figure out which of the black squares (really technical term) you can cover and which are necessary for the QR reader to work.

>> The slideshow below is how my QR code looked from start to finish. Slide 1 is the original code; slide 2 shows the code with a 50% transparency, slide 3 shows the available area to place an image and slide 4 is the final product.

(download)

Click here to download:

qr-codes-adding-images-lflqquhIJmaIugeAlxrz.zip (105 KB)

3. Add your image or icon to the available space and you're done.

Why add images to QR codes?

>> Recurring content. Have a standing QR code for coverage of a sports team or major event? Adding an image or graphic device to the QR code will help in the branding of your coverage or product.

>> Give the user a sense of the content they are about to view. Using QR codes in your product for different multimedia resources? How about creating simple iconic devices -- video, audio, photo galleries, etc. When using QR codes, you'll probably explain the content the user is about to view, but by adding an iconic image, it will give the user a quicker read.

As of now, adding images to QR codes is a time-intensive process. With that said, I think it's still worth the effort for major projects, new products or standing features. Try it out and let me know your results.

Have you seen any interesting uses of QR codes? Share 'em in the comments below.

Via @NiemanLab: How do you make local media work? 10 lessons from Knight-McCormic Leadership Excellent Institute

5. Audience engagement is everything

Not everything is about big numbers.  Knowing who your community is, bringing them into the conversation, publishing their work, shaping coverage in response to their needs--these are things many Oakland-area web sites are skilled at , but that are new concepts for bigger, more main-stream publishers now fighting to stay relevant.

Via @Malcolli: How to prevent social media entitlement syndrome

The business and social lines or lack there of can be blurred in other ways, as well. Knowing who someone is through social media doesn’t mean we know them. People are only as transparent as they choose to be about certain aspects of their lives. We show people what we want them to see through social media. That’s not transparency, it’s strategic marketing.

Via @kegill: What advice would you give to a graphic design student? 

Look people in the eyes when you are talking or listening to them. The best teachers are the ones who treat their classrooms like a workplace, and the worst ones are the ones who treat their classroom like a classroom as we’ve come to expect it. Eat breakfast. Realize that you are learning a trade, so craft matters more than most say. Realize that design is also a liberal art. Quiet is always an option, even if everyone is yelling. Libraries are a good place. The books are free there, and it smells great.

Remember when I had Facebook Grandma star in a video with me to help explain the voting process in Mashable.com's Open Web Awards? WELL... DatingBrian.com enlisted the help of his charming grandma as a testimonial in the search for a girlfriend.

I love this project. Love the website. Love the branding. Love the videos. Love the drawings. Love it all. Here's hoping Brian finds someone who loves him as much as his grandma does.

From the MediaShift blog post 6 Key Lessons From NewHour's Coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill:

5. Do Something New

Probably obvious, but it bears repeating.

via // Matt Mansfield

Mashable has an interesting list of 5 ways Facebook changed dating (for the worse). What do you think? Has social media made dating easier for us fellow geeks? Do you have any personal rules about combining a budding romance + your tweets or Facebook updates?

via // Urlesque

In this experiment/new visual effect, the letters from a lyric of a popular song — Never Gonna Give You Up — are repositioned to compose the images of its singer — Rick Astley — dancing in fluid motion.

Check it out here.

via // Yuri Victor

From the time I read this article on tech overload + the impact on one's life and now as I'm typing this blog post, I downloaded a song from iTunes, checked Facebook + Twitter (clicked on 2 links) and skimmed one of my favorite blogs. I wonder if I'm too distracted?

In recent weeks, I've been trying to make a conscious effort in "powering down" when in social settings. I'm finding myself too eager to check my CrackBerry once seeing the alluring (and constant) red blink. I don't think I'll get as attached to gadgets as the people profiled in the story, but I'm logging off now -- just in case...

link // http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html

Update: The NYTimes is looking for volunteers to unplug.

In connection with its series on technology and the brain, The Times is starting a video project asking readers to see what happens when they give up technology. We’re looking for volunteers to unplug temporarily and tell us about their experience. Frame your own challenge: maybe its turning off your cellphone for a weekend, or disconnecting from the Internet for a week, or just leaving your social networks for a few days. Choose something you’re comfortable with. When you’re plugged back in, record a short video telling us what the experience was like. We’ll post the best ones on NYTimes.com.

More information on their challenge can be found here.