Branding & Versioning Guidelines

Purpose

These guidelines are designed to ensure a consistent, professional, and user-centered experience across all aspects of the AfriGen-D Portals. They cover visual identity, tone, content and formatting. The aim is to strengthen the portals visibility and credibility as a reliable resource for African data.

Branding Guidelines

1. Logo

• Primary Logo: The full afrigen-D logo must be used on the top-left corner of all pages.
• Minimum Size: The logo must never appear smaller than 100px wide.
• Spacing: Leave at least 20px of clear space around the logo.
• Modifications: Never modify the logo's colors, proportions, or orientation.

2. Color Palette

Name	Hex Code	Usage
Light saturated yellow	#ffc107	Links, buttons
African Green	#005303	Navigation bars, headers
Black	#000000	Footer
White	#FFFFFF	Main page background
Alert Red	#D9534F	Error/notification messages

3. Typography

• Primary font: Open Sans, fallback: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
• Headings: Bold, properly nested using <h1> to <h4>
• Body text: Regular weight, 16px
• Code/Data: Use monospace fonts

4. Imagery

• Avoid generic, non-contextual stock images.
• Provide descriptive alt text for accessibility.

Content Style & Tone

• Voice: Scientific, professional, and inclusive.
• Audience: Researchers, clinicians, students, policymakers.
• Language: English first.
• Content Do's:
  • Use verified data
  • Cite sources
  • Keep messages concise
• Content Don'ts:
  • Avoid speculation
  • No technical jargon without explanation

5. Structural Rules

5.1 URL Structure

• Use lowercase, hyphenated slugs.
  Example: /submit-data instead of /SubmitData.

5.2 Main Menu Items

Must include:

• Home
• About
• Browse Data
• Help

5.3 Accessibility Standards

• Use semantic HTML (<header>, <main>, etc.).
• Maintain color contrast ratios.

6. Versioning Strategy

We use Semantic Versioning:
MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., v2.1.0)

Level	Description
MAJOR	Incompatible changes (e.g., database overhaul)
MINOR	Backward-compatible new features
PATCH	Bug fixes, copy edits, or visual adjustments

6.1 Release Naming

• Use Git tags in the format: vX.Y.Z
• Maintain a changelog (CHANGELOG.md) for each release.

6.2 Sample Changelog Entry

## [v2.0.0] – 2025-07-01
### Added
- New search filters for disease categories
- Senegal genomic dataset
### Fixed
- UI misalignment in table view

7. Integration with External Projects

For embedded tools:

• Use official logos and styling from each partner.
• Link to the original project pages.
• Track their API versions in your own changelog.