Portfolio
Progression Phases
Section 1 - Necessity
Being a budding Game Dev, as is the case with the vast majority of creative fields, a portfolio is a must. Whether that be in the form of a simple list, an itch.io page, or a fully custom-built website. I had created several portfolios in the past, mostly using templates and tools from websites such as Wix, and Netlify (who I am currently using to host this site!). As I graduated University and started getting serious about breaking into the industry, I realised that the free templates and website builders just weren't going to cut it anymore. At heart, I am a creator; I love making things. So here we are, after a couple of months of solo research (and plenty of mistakes), I am the proud owner of my own bespoke portfolio website.
Section 2 - Design
Once I had decided it was time to learn how to do this, I then took to the well of knowledge that is YouTube and searched 'how to create a website'. After going down that rabbit hole for a little while, I stumbled across the channel 'JavaScript Mastery'. This was my first step in starting my journey as a web developer. As is the case with any good project, the next stage was to start to design the layouts and plan the content that I wanted on each page. For this, I used Figma to mock up a basic layout. My main intention was to keep the website layout concise, with no confusing paths or unclear sections. Naturally, some aspects were adapted during development, but overall, the design was successful.
Section 3 - Learning & Making Mistakes
As is the case when learning something new, the process didn't go 100% to plan, nor did it go anywhere near as smooth as I would've liked. I had to recreate the entire project once as I managed to break something in the dependencies whilst trying to import a 'shadcn' component. There are also components and sections that I built at the start of the project that I would love to adapt with my new-found knowledge, but my priority is publishing the site before any minor tweaks. The experience has been far from doom and gloom though! I have managed to go from zero JavaScript and web development knowledge, to creating a usable, clean, and effective personal portfolio. I have been able to implement all of the features that I wanted. Up to this point, I have used: • NextJS -> React (TypeScript, HTML, CSS with Tailwind) • Figma • shadcn • JetBrains WebStorm • GitHub
Section 4 - What Now?
As it stands, the website is finished in terms of content and layout. I am pleased with the end result, and the things that I have learnt over the time that I have been developing this website. Of course, as I evolve, there will be more projects to add/change. Potentially, in the future, I may either overhaul, or re-create the website.
