Every module (cell) is one of eight maximally-separated colours — the corners of the RGB cube. Because each colour stands for a 3-bit value, one WN-Code module carries three bits where a black-and-white QR module carries just one. That is the whole trick: same grid, roughly triple the payload.
Eight colours × a robust threshold at the midpoint of each channel — reliable to read from a clean image, ~3× the density of a QR.
Beyond any QR’s capacity: a compact thumbnail is embedded directly, so scanning shows the picture with no internet needed.
A black locator frame gives orientation and module size; a CRC-32 catches damage so you never read a wrong result.
| Grid | Modules | WN-Code payload | A QR (same idea) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 40 × 40 | ~587 bytes | ~1 bit/module |
| Medium | 100 × 100 | ~3.7 KB | max ~3 KB total |
| Large | 160 × 160 | ~9.5 KB | beyond QR capacity |
Format & spec are public domain. v1 uses an 8-colour palette, a 3-module locator frame and CRC-32 integrity. Reed-Solomon error correction and camera-grade perspective decoding are on the roadmap.