![171003_QR-Diagrams-01.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmX3pcMiRbhjeNjgWM3yT3ktipTdcrYiwAFaS6t8xW87xm/171003_QR-Diagrams-01.png)

## A Visible Cue to an Invisible World

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**Blockchain is the powerful, yet invisible puppeteer behind cryptocurrency.** Digital coins and tokens zip around the world every second of every day. Due to the nature of this online ecosystem there is no jangling of loose change in pockets. No leather wallets. There are no brick and mortar banks either. Physical cues are hard to come by!

**But with all of this invisible infrastructure, Bitcoin (in particular) has gained a surprising visual cheerleader.** ***The QR code.***



## The Rise of Quick Response
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A QR (or Quick Response) code is a type of identifier first invented to keep track of car parts during the automotive manufacturing process. This 2-D pattern is legible through digital camera devices.

Beyond the automotive industry of the mid 1990’s - the QR has found an unexpected home In the world of Bitcoin. The black and white QR has become a default method for sharing account (or “wallet”) addresses. With Bitcoin, each square black and white puzzle provides a link to a secure wallet account. The pixelated pattern is easily generated, sharable and customizable. Today, these patterns hop between cryptocurrency holders as a secure way of exchanging funds. **Over the last decade, the QR has become a billboard of the visual language that defines Bitcoin and crypto-currency culture.** 

![qr-billboard.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQma6PfFivZmw5Sq63oHCHc22tC9eRcfsJHmRAFbC4GPHxy/qr-billboard.png)
* *The famous “HI MOM SEND BTC” sign from ESPN. This crypto-savvy college football fan collected over 22.4 Bitcoin from donations all over the world back in 2013. Learn more about [the event, here.](https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/1/5163926/one-college-football-sign-netted-22-bitcoins-for-enthusiast)*

![171003_QR-Diagrams-03.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeXEgDkP4U5aSZVSqSe1GfoBMUfjDqgBzZaGndJPMbRLs/171003_QR-Diagrams-03.png)

## Anatomy of a QR Code 
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The black and white squares are composed in an language of puzzle-units that are read by a camera in a very specific order. To make sense of this seemingly random grid, there are 3 orientation points at 3 corners of the code, with 1 alignment point that helps the camera keep track as it navigates the landscape of data. There is a start point, end point and indicators that tell the reader what kind of address it is being forwarded to.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmThqsKGngf7cVESM87e7w9b7AnAyxXnoxTHeUz4HvLP9H/thumb.png

* *This is a rendering I composed for an early concept sketch of STEEM Park. The plan for the furniture and planters is actually [a map of a QR code.](https://steemit.com/growth-projects/@hitheryon/project-power-up-your-neighborhood-introducing-sandbox)*

## A Fabric for Programming Public Space?
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This QR pattern-work is a kind of programmable fabric. Maybe even a map? If you look down on it, all of the different hierarchies begin to look a lot like roadways, buildings, skyscrapers and ultimately cities. **So what if the language of sharing digital currencies translated to the built world around us? What might that look like?**

**As an designer, I’m curious about how this language can translate into something artful, architectural or maybe even into something resembling a city.**

![qr-billboard.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZqGtAaLRxEoJDUbDb7RxJT8qftf9UR5TPEcZhuL3s1FT/qr-billboard.gif)

Wouldn’t it be interesting to reimagine this pattern work into something physical? Maybe even inhabitable or modular architecture? **What do you think Steemit?**

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