Building MaverickBytes: From Concept to Launch

Why Build Another Portfolio?

Every developer has a portfolio. Most of them look the same. White background, a grid of project cards, a contact form. Ship it and forget it.

I wanted something different. MaverickBytes isn't just a portfolio. It's the brand I'm building my entire solo dev business around. It needed to feel like me.

The Vision

I've always been drawn to two aesthetics that shouldn't work together: cyberpunk neon and fantasy RPG warmth. Think Blade Runner meets D&D character sheets. Dark backgrounds with electric purple glows, but also gold accents and "quest log" metaphors.

The challenge was making that feel premium, not gimmicky.

Tech Stack Decisions

Next.js 16 + App Router

No debate here. Server Components by default, great DX, and Vercel deployment is seamless. The App Router's file-based routing made organizing the site sections intuitive.

Tailwind CSS v4

Tailwind v4's new @theme directive let me define my entire design system in CSS, no config file needed. Every color, shadow, and animation is a design token I can use as a utility class.

TypeScript Strict Mode

Every piece of data in this site is typed. Projects, services, testimonials, skills, all defined in src/types/data.ts. This makes refactoring fearless and catches bugs before they ship.

Supabase (Coming Soon)

Right now, the data is static TypeScript files. But the architecture is ready for Supabase. Testimonials and projects will eventually be database-backed with a simple admin interface.

Design System First

Before writing a single component, I built the design system in globals.css:

• •6-shade dark palette from near-black to dark gray
• •5 neon accent colors (purple, cyan, magenta, gold, ember)
• •Glass morphism cards with backdrop blur
• •Glow shadows that make elements pop without being overwhelming
• •Custom animations for subtle life (pulse, float, fade-in)

This meant every component I built afterward was already visually consistent.

Lessons Learned

1. •Design tokens save hours. Define your colors, shadows, and spacing once. Reference them everywhere.
2. •Server Components are the default for a reason. Only two components in the entire site need "use client".
3. •Ship imperfect, then iterate. The first version of this site was just Hero + About. I added sections incrementally.
4. •Your portfolio IS a product. Treat it with the same rigor as client work.

What's Next

• •Blog system (you're reading it!)
• •Supabase-backed testimonials with a public submission form
• •Project detail pages with case studies
• •Dark mode... wait, it's already dark mode. Always has been.

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MaverickBytes is built in public. Follow the journey on GitHub and Twitter.