Barcode Gary Vaynerchuk
Channel: Scott Blake
Date: 23/10/2011

This is my Barcode Gary Vaynerchuk portrait made with 2,440 barcodes. Each barcode is taken from a bottle of wine Gary has reviewed on his video blog, "Wine Library TV." I created an interactive interface so people can scan the barcodes and it will play a short clip of Gary talking about the corresponding wine.

Gary started the daily webcast in 2006, which launched his career as an Internet celebrity. He has gone on to write several books and is a public speaker on the subjects of social media, brand building, and e-commerce.

Gary has a very positive and outgoing personality.  His passion and enthusiasm are infectious, which influenced the design of the portrait. I gave the barcodes an upward lift, which mimics the shape of a wine bottle, and is meant to provoke a smile from whomever views it.

The mosaic includes several hidden "Easter Egg" barcodes. For instance, one plays a special clip of Gary tasting wine on the Conan O'Brien show and another shows a viral video of the Grape Lady Epic Fall.

You can also scan the barcodes with a smartphone and it will tell you more information about the wine.

The portrait is 7 feet tall by 7 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The digital print and surrounding backdrop is hung on aluminum poles. My interactive portrait requires a power outlet to run the barcode scanning interface, as well as to power the fluorescent lights that back-light the print. The glowing art is ideal for scanning the barcodes.