A pocket reference to the GovTech Barbados visual identity, voice, and pattern library. Maintained in detail across the govtech-barbados-services, govtech-barbados-forms, govtech-barbados-presentations, and govtech-barbados-qr-codes skills. This file gives bimstack agents the essentials they need without reading every skill front to back.
If anything here ever drifts from those skills, trust the skills.
- Plain language always. Write for a 9-year-old reading on a phone.
- You and we. Address the citizen as "you" and the government as "we". Never "the applicant" or "the Ministry".
- Active voice. "Send us your form" not "Your form should be submitted".
- Short sentences. Under 20 words. Break long ones in two.
- Bajan where it lands. If a local turn of phrase makes something clearer for the citizen, use it. If it doesn't, English is fine.
| Don't write | Write instead |
|---|---|
| provide | tell us, give us |
| submit | send |
| verify, validate | check |
| select | choose |
| proceed | continue |
| commence | start |
| reside | live |
| prior to | before |
| in respect of | about, for |
| mandatory | required, you must |
| utilise | use |
| ensure | make sure |
| apply for | get, claim, register |
| in receipt of | getting |
| at this present time | now |
| as a matter of urgency | urgently |
| with regard to | about |
Primary tokens used across alpha.gov.bb services, slides, and QR codes.
| Role | Name | Hex | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Navy | #00267F |
Body text, primary actions, navy section breaks |
| Secondary | Gold | #FFC726 |
Title slides, finder eyes on QR codes, agenda numerals |
| Light | Off-white | #F7F3F3 |
Page background, light slide background |
| Dark | Charcoal | #2C2C2C |
Title bars, page-break slides, label bars on QR |
| Accent | Coral | #FF6B6B |
Page breaks, two-item splits |
| Accent | Pink | #FF94D9 |
Page breaks, feature backgrounds |
| Accent | Green | #21BF83 |
Statement slides, achievements |
| Accent | Purple | #A962C7 |
Charts, category indicators |
| Accent | Orange | #F58757 |
Charts, warm highlights |
| Accent | Teal | #0F7D75 |
Charts, secondary highlights |
In CSS, prefer the design system's tokens (var(--color-blue-40) etc.) over hex values directly.
Figtree for everything – titles, body, big numbers, labels. Google Font, geometric humanist. Set fontFace: "Figtree" explicitly in slide code so it doesn't fall back to Calibri.
| Use | Weight | Size (slides) |
|---|---|---|
| Hero stat | SemiBold | 72pt |
| Section heading | SemiBold | 48–60pt |
| Slide title | SemiBold | 36pt |
| Body | Regular | 30pt minimum |
| Subtitle | Regular | 24pt |
| Title bar text | SemiBold | 14pt |
For web pages, the design system handles typography – don't override it.
Every alpha.gov.bb page has:
- Official banner – the thin bar confirming this is a real government service
- Header – yellow site header with the GovBB logo and navigation
- Status banner – the alpha or beta strip
- Footer – navy footer with supporting links and the Barbados crest
The design system provides them all. Don't redraw them.
CSS class prefix is always govbb- (e.g. govbb-btn, govbb-form-group, govbb-radio). Don't introduce Tailwind for new prototypes; don't reach for one-off colours.
For form pages: single-question, multiple-questions, check-your-answers, confirmation. For content: service, category, home. Templates and component reference at https://govtech-bb.github.io/design-system/llm/llms.txt.
| Field | Format |
|---|---|
| Parish | Christ Church, St. Andrew, St. George, St. James, St. John, St. Joseph, St. Lucy, St. Michael, St. Peter, St. Philip, St. Thomas |
| National Registration Number (NRN) | YYMMDD-XXXX |
| National Insurance Number | 6 digits, numeric |
| Postal code | BB + 5 digits, e.g. BB11000 |
| Date | DD MM YYYY in three text inputs (day / month / year) |
| Currency | Barbadian Dollar (BBD / BDS$) |
| Phone | Accept any format – don't enforce a pattern |
For personal details, use Trident ID lookup (not separate fields). For vehicles, the vehicle lookup. For businesses, the business lookup.
Forms. One thing per page (GOV.UK Service Manual rule). The flow is always: Start → Question pages → Check Your Answers → Confirmation. Every page has a Back link except Start. Every confirmation page gives a reference number, the next step, and the timing.
Validation. Always client-side. On submit (not on blur). Two things together when it fails:
- An error summary at the top of the page, linking to each invalid field
- An inline error message next to each invalid field, with
aria-invalid="true"andaria-describedbylinking the input to the error
The page title starts with "Error: …" so screen readers announce the failure.
Content pages. Lead with what the citizen can do (the verb). Steps. Eligibility. What you need. How long it takes. Cost. What happens next. Contact.
Presentations. See the govtech-barbados-presentations skill. Big text, few words. Three-act structure. Show the thing. Charcoal title bar in top-left of content slides; gold cover slide; navy closing slide. Mix background colours – no two adjacent slides the same.
QR codes. See the govtech-barbados-qr-codes skill. Navy modules, off-white background, gold finder eyes, charcoal label bar.
Documents (Word, PDF). Plain text. Figtree if the rendering supports it. Navy for headings, charcoal for body. Crest and "Government of Barbados" in the header.
If you need a pattern that isn't in the design system, build it from primitives the system does cover – containers, typography, buttons, links, form groups – and use the CSS variables, not hex. Don't invent new colours.
If the gap is structural and recurring, flag it as a candidate for a new block or component. The design system is in alpha; gaps are expected.
- Plain language: civil-service register words swapped out, sentences under 20 words, active voice
- "You" and "we"
- Reading age friendly to a 9-year-old
- Design system components and tokens used (no Tailwind, no bespoke colours, no inlined CSS)
- Official banner, header, alpha/beta banner, footer present on every page
- Barbadian data formats correct (parishes spelled "St. Michael" etc.)
- Trident ID / vehicle / business lookups used instead of manual identity fields
- One thing per page (forms)
- Back link on every page except Start
- Confirmation page gives reference, next step, timing
- Accessible: error summary + inline error pattern,
aria-invalid,aria-describedby - Works on a phone-sized viewport
- Works on a slow connection
- Keyboard reachable end to end