Redesigning My Portfolio: Making Space for What Matters ✨

I redesigned my portfolio. Plain and simple.

The old site worked, but it shouted. Too many colors, too many sections, and not enough room for the work itself. Over time I noticed visitors skimmed past projects because the design was doing too much of the talking.

So I rebuilt it with a clear goal: make space for projects and let the content lead.

Before: Busy and noisy

My first version leaned on personality — bright palettes, lots of sections, and playful UI. It was fun to build, but it started competing with the actual work I wanted to show.

Lessons from that phase were useful. I learned what visitors ignored, which bits added value, and which were just decoration.

If you want to grimace at my old experiments, there’s an old demo available: Old Portfolio Demo

After: Clean and focused

The redesign centers on clarity. Key changes:

• Reduced clutter — only the essentials remain.
• Limited color palette — less distraction, more contrast where it matters.
• Better typography — improves scanability and tone.
• Responsive layouts — projects look clear on phones and desktops.

The goal was not to be minimal for the sake of minimalism, but to make it effortless for someone to see what I built and why it matters.

Check the live site here: New Portfolio

The tech (short)

Stack stayed familiar: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS. I added shadcn/ui components to speed development and keep a consistent UI system.

Both versions are open-source if you want to explore the code:

• Old: Old Portfolio GitHub
• New: New Portfolio GitHub

Practical steps I took

If you want to simplify your own site, this is the practical checklist I followed:

• Audit content: remove or merge low-value sections.
• Prioritize projects: lead with work that demonstrates impact.
• Standardize components: consistent spacing, headings, and cards.
• Optimize media: lazy-load images and use appropriately sized assets.
• Keep interactive bits small: only hydrate what needs client-side JS.

I hit a few regressions during the rewrite — broken spacing, small accessibility gaps — but those were straightforward fixes compared to the benefit of a cleaner experience.

What changed for visitors

• Faster scanning: people find projects and details quicker.
• Fewer distractions: attention stays on work, not UI.
• More consistent previews: social previews and link shares look better.

Final note

Redesigns are a trade-off between expression and clarity. The new portfolio favors clarity because the point of a portfolio is to show work — not to be the work.

If you’re thinking of redesigning, start by removing things. You’ll learn fast which parts actually matter.

👉 See the new site