Aestheticodes at the London Design Festival

Over the summer I met up with the Aestheticodes team to talk about some plans they have for the London Design Festival. I was quite excited to be presented with an opportunity to explore a new interactive field of design.
A team of researchers have been developing a way of encoding designs which can be interactive in just the same way as a QR code but much more visually pleasing. It's a really exciting concept as it can be applied in so many different ways; perhaps the code might be hidden within a picture in a magazine taking anyone who can find it to a meal voucher...imagine scannable wallpaper or clothing!
I was asked to design an encoded postcard that could be given out at their stall at the festival. After talking with the team, I began work on my 'Koi Carp' design as a development of a sketch I produced, inspired by Chinese ink drawings, during an encoding workshop.
As a contrast to the bold, blocky QR codes, I wanted to create an image that felt soft and flowing, something that would unexpectedly be a code. I began by painting regular images with inks, softening them by adding water and building up the layer, incorporating the codes by picking out key lines right at the end. I felt that this allowed me to be free with my painting and for the code to become part of a natural image without looking contrived.
So here's the flyer to advertise the stall...

With the right app, the illustration will scan just like a QR code.
I'll be at the stall this Saturday and Sunday to show you how to make your own codes...come along!