My first portfolio (v1): what it taught me before v2

The brief

Before the current version of this portfolio (built in Next.js), a first version existed — a showcase site on WordPress and Elementor, presenting my skills, services and work in UI/UX design and web development.

The process

Elementor made it possible to iterate quickly on structure and content without writing code, a real advantage for testing layout ideas before locking them in. It was the right tool for where I was at the time.

What it taught me

As I grew technically, the limits became more visible: less fine-grained control over performance, over the real accessibility of the generated code, and over internationalization. Before rebuilding everything in Next.js, there was a middle step: I experimented with Purecode, a tool that generates code from mockups, to start getting closer to real code without rewriting everything at once. That step helped me understand the structure of a coded site before jumping fully into Next.js for v2, with full control over every technical aspect, from color contrast to the semantic structure of the HTML.

That first portfolio wasn't a failure: it was the right tool for the stage I was at. Knowing when a tool stops keeping up with your ambition is a skill in itself.