Next JS Modern Portfolio: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a modern portfolio with Next JS is a great way to showcase your skills and projects to potential employers or clients. Next JS is a popular React-based framework that makes it easy to build fast and scalable applications.

To get started, you'll need to set up a new Next JS project using the command `npx create-next-app my-portfolio`. This will create a basic Next JS project with a default layout and pages.

Next, you'll want to customize the layout and design of your portfolio to make it visually appealing and easy to navigate. This can be done by modifying the styles and layouts in the `pages/_app.js` file.

Next.js is a React framework that's perfect for building fast websites with server-side rendering, which helps with SEO. This means our site will be more likely to show up on Google.

We're using Next.js because it's great for SEO and helps us build blazing-fast websites, which is a big win for our users.

Our tech stack also includes tailwindcss, a CSS framework that makes it easy to style our web applications. With tailwindcss, we can quickly prototype and style our web apps.

Tailwindcss has low-level CSS classes that we can directly embed into our HTML code, reducing styling efforts. For example, we can use a class like "text-sm md:text-xl" to make text small on smaller screens and large on medium to large screens.

Here are the main components of our tech stack:

We're also using Rough Notation, a styling library that's great for highlighting important text on our webpage.

Your Next.js modern portfolio site comes with some amazing features that make it stand out. The website is built with Next.js, which includes awesome features like Image Optimization and SEO support.

The portfolio site has a customizable design, thanks to TailwindCSS, which allows you to change the primary colors and overall look of your website according to your needs.

Dark Mode is also available, with a toggle button to switch between dark and light mode. This feature is perfect for users who prefer a darker interface.

Every page is wrapped with a Meta Component tag, which you can use to provide meta information for each separate page you create. This is a great way to customize the metadata for each page.

The responsive design ensures that your pages look beautiful on all devices, including desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Here are some of the key features of your Next.js modern portfolio site:

When building a Next.js modern portfolio, it's essential to create a solid foundation for your pages and layout. A well-structured layout can make a significant difference in how your portfolio is perceived by visitors and recruiters alike.

A typical portfolio website should include essential pages such as a homepage, about page, experience page, projects page, and contact page. These pages should be neatly organized and easily accessible from the navigation menu.

In Next.js, you can create reusable components for these sections using Magic UI, such as the Card component, which can be used to exhibit each project. This makes it easy to update the layout code without rewriting it.

Here are the essential pages you should include in your portfolio website:

These pages will serve as the foundation of your portfolio website, and with a well-designed layout, you can effectively showcase your skills and projects to potential employers and clients.

The layout of your portfolio plays a crucial role in showcasing your skills and projects. In Next.js, a layout is a way to define a consistent structure for the components that appear on every page of a website. The layout usually includes elements such as a header, navigation menu, and footer displayed across all site pages.

To create a layout, start by creating a components folder in the src directory of your Next.js project. Inside this folder, you can create components for your header, footer, and main content area. For example, you can create a Header component with navigation links for Home, Projects, About, and Contact pages.

The Header component can be created in a file named Header.js, and it should contain the necessary code to display the navigation links. You can also create a Footer component to include copyright information for your portfolio website.

In addition to the header and footer, you'll also need to create a main content area for your portfolio. This can be done by creating a Layout component that wraps your page content. The Layout component will accept a children prop, allowing you to access the content of your Next.js pages.

Here's an example of what the Layout component might look like:

Here's a breakdown of the key elements of a layout:

By following these steps and creating a well-designed layout, you can create a professional-looking portfolio that showcases your skills and projects.

The Hero component is the first section below the Navbar, whose main purpose is to capture the user's attention and give them a sense of what the website or application is about. It's a crucial part of any Next.js project.

You can add more content to the Hero component, tweak the styles in the styles/globals.css file or even recreate this section in your own way. This gives you flexibility and control over how your website looks.

The Hero component is built using a custom component called RainbowHighlight, which takes in a color and highlights the text enclosed. This makes it easy to create visually appealing sections.

In the code, the Next.js Image component is used instead of the HTML img tag to add the image, enabling automatic image optimization, resizing, and lots more. This is a key feature of Next.js that can improve your website's performance.

Displaying projects is a crucial part of a Next.js modern portfolio, and it's essential to make it visually appealing and organized.

To achieve this, you can create a "ProjectCard" component that can be reused for each project. This component will render an individual project card with its title, description, image, and links to the live demo and source code.

In the main content area of your portfolio, you'll want to display your projects in an organized and visually appealing manner. For this, you can use the "ProjectCard" component to render each project.

To display your projects, you'll need to create a new file named "projects.js" in the "pages" folder. In this file, you'll import the "ProjectCard" component and the project data from the "data" folder.

The "ProjectsPage" component then maps through the projects array and renders a "ProjectCard" for each project in the data. This makes it easy to maintain and add more projects without repetition.

By following these steps, you can create a seamless and user-friendly experience for your portfolio visitors, showcasing your projects in a clear and concise manner.

Deploying your Next.js modern portfolio is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few simple steps. You can choose from various hosting options, such as Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages, and follow their deployment instructions.

To deploy your portfolio, you'll need to create a Vercel account and add your GitHub repository to it. Vercel will automatically deploy your portfolio on a link. This process can be completed in just 8 simple steps.

You can also use Next.js to quickly deploy your portfolio to various hosting platforms. This makes launching your portfolio website convenient and efficient.

Here are the steps to deploy your Next.js application to Kinsta:

Automatic deployment is also enabled, so Kinsta will re-deploy your application whenever you make changes to your codebase and push it to GitHub.

Customization is key to making your NextJS portfolio stand out. You want to look for a template that offers flexibility in terms of colors, fonts, layouts, and content.

Customizing a template to match your personal or professional branding ensures that your portfolio is unique and reflects your style. Injecting your personality and style into the design allows for personal branding, making your portfolio more relatable and unique.

Tailoring the template to match your branding also helps your portfolio stand out, showcasing your individuality and creativity. The adaptability of a customizable template allows you to easily update and tweak your portfolio as your brand evolves over time.

To add personal branding elements, start by designing a logo or using online tools to create one. A well-designed logo can be placed prominently on your homepage and within the navigation bar to enhance brand visibility.

A compelling bio in the “About Me” section is also crucial, sharing insights into your background, skills, and passions. This narrative provides an opportunity to engage with potential clients or employers personally.

To incorporate interactive and animated elements, Magic UI is an excellent choice, boasting over 20 animated components constructed with React, Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion, and TypeScript. You can customize Magic UI components extensively, adjusting animations, styles, and behaviors to align perfectly with branding and design requirements.

Some examples of Magic UI components include the Shimmer Button component, which can create captivating call-to-action buttons, and the Carousel component, which dynamically showcases projects.

To change colors and fonts, start by selecting a color scheme that resonates with your brand. Magic UI coupled with Tailwind CSS allows you to switch color palettes effortlessly, and the Tailwind configuration file aids in modifying the color palette.

You can also opt for a typeface that is both legible and possesses character, and Google Fonts is an excellent resource for integrating free fonts into your project.

Building a modern portfolio with Next.js is all about breaking it down into manageable components. You can now create individual components for each section of your developer's portfolio.

Each component will be imported into the index page of your Next.js project, so they can display when you launch your project with npm run dev. This means you can easily customize and manage each section of your portfolio without having to rewrite the entire project.

With this feature, you can create a portfolio that's tailored to your developer's needs and showcases their skills in a clean and organized way.

The Container Block is the foundation of your app's layout. It's the parent of all components and provides a way to add custom meta tags for every page.

This block is designed to be highly customizable, accepting props as children and providing a Navbar, meta tags, and Footer for every page. You can wrap your page component in a ContainerBlock tag, providing meta tags for title, description, and image.

To create a ContainerBlock, you'll need to create a new file called ContainerBlock.js. I've used Tailwind grids to divide the page into two columns, which breaks into one column on mobile screens.

This layout is highly reusable, making it a great starting point for your app.

Building Components is a crucial step in creating a developer portfolio. You can create individual components for each section of your portfolio, such as a Projects component, to display when you launch your project with npm run dev.

These components can be imported into the index page of your Next.js project, making it easy to maintain and add more projects. You can use JavaScript iteration methods, like the map() array method, to loop through the data array and output all projects into the Projects component.

To avoid hard-coding project details, create a data.js file to store the array of project data. This file can be stored in the component folder or the pages/api folder. For this demo, it's stored in the components folder.

You can create a project component to utilize this data by looping through the data array. This makes it easy to maintain and add more projects. The project component can include a brief description of the project, a link to its source code, and any other details you wish to add.

Here are some key components to consider when building your portfolio:

By breaking down your portfolio into individual components, you can easily maintain and update each section, making it a breeze to keep your portfolio looking fresh and professional.

Fast Loading Times and Efficient Code are essential for a great user experience. Slow-loading websites can frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates.

Having efficient, clean code ensures your portfolio runs smoothly without lag or errors. This is especially true for a portfolio, where you want to showcase your work in the best possible way.

Fast loading times keep visitors engaged and reduce bounce rates, contributing to a positive user experience. Search engines also consider page speed when ranking sites, making performance a crucial factor for SEO.

A well-performing site reflects your attention to detail and technical skills, leaving a positive impression on your visitors. By choosing a NextJS portfolio template with fast loading times and efficient code, you'll be ahead of the game.

High-quality images and videos are essential for showcasing projects, making them a crucial component of building a successful project.

Including screenshots can be a great way to demonstrate a project's functionality, giving potential users a clear understanding of how it works.

Demo videos are also highly effective, allowing users to see the project in action and get a feel for its capabilities.

GIFs can be particularly useful for highlighting specific features or functionalities, breaking down complex information into a concise and engaging visual format.