code QR avec logo

In addition to James' answer and link to his thorough article on the piece, I can add the following.

My workplace uses the TEC-IT Barcode Studio application to generate barcodes en-masse, including QR codes that require that extra "something".

I also note that Adobe Express can make QR codes with the feature of semi rounded or fully rounded elements instead of just squares, but can only export that as PNG. However, this hasn't been rolled out to InDesign's QR code features.

QR codes with logos appear to be done in two ways: with a proprietary code generator that creates valid encoding only outside a center area, or by encoding a standard QR code with a high error correction factor, and simply "damaging" the code by neatly deleting as little of the center area as possible.

The QR code industry being what it is, the proprietary generators are closely held and available only by contracting with a service that has one, and that in turn often means using their pay-service tracking or metered redirection.

You can try creating your own logo codes using InDesign's generator, but you will have to experiment with how much of the center pattern you can erase without losing read reliability. (One hint: erase the dots neatly and in an increasing circular pattern.) Since the InDesign generator has a fixed error correction level (second-lowest of four, if I recall correctly), it may be useful to find another generator that allows turning up the EC level to the highest setting... but then it's a matter of finding a generator that does not add tracking info, scrape data or bind you to a pay-per-click model.

You may find this useful, in general: http://www.nitrosyncretic.com/DPR/dpr_qrcodes.php

The industry could use a good, general-purpose, secure, local-function QR code generator (as well as a raw decryptor for troubleshooting and analysis), one that allows setting things like the EC level and includes subroutines for blanking out a center area... but as with so many things on the Wonderful World of Weaponization, hypercapitalism drives all players to find some way to squeeze money out of the concept over all other concerns. Until then, we have a limited half of a solution in making the best of InDesign's feature.