Super Sunday #01: Building AI-Blended Portfolios with Next.js 14

Welcome to the inaugural Super Sunday post! This weekly series dives deep into AI engineering topics, combining practical insights with production experience. Today, we're starting with something close to home: building the perfect portfolio for AI engineers.

Why Portfolio Websites Matter for AI Engineers

In the rapidly evolving AI landscape, your portfolio isn't just a showcase—it's your technical narrative. Unlike traditional software engineering, AI work often involves:

Research-to-Production pipelines that need visual explanation
Complex technical concepts that benefit from interactive demonstrations
Experimental work that requires context and methodology explanation
Continuous learning that deserves documentation and reflection

The Technical Stack Decision

After evaluating numerous options, here's why this stack wins for AI engineers:

The winning combination:

Framework: Next.js 14 (App Router + RSC)
Content: Contentlayer (Type-safe MDX)
Styling: Tailwind CSS (Utility-first design)
Animations: Framer Motion (Accessible motion)
Deployment: Vercel/Netlify (Static + ISR)

Next.js 14 with App Router

The App Router fundamentally changes how we think about React applications:

Server Components reduce JavaScript bundle size
Streaming improves perceived performance for content-heavy sites
Built-in optimizations for images, fonts, and scripts
File-based routing simplifies project structure

Contentlayer for Type-Safe Content

Traditional markdown processors lack type safety. Contentlayer bridges this gap providing:

Compile-time validation of frontmatter
Auto-completion in your IDE
Computed fields for reading time, word count
Rich MDX support for interactive components

Design System Philosophy

AI portfolios need to balance technical credibility with visual appeal. The key principles:

1. Purposeful Motion

Motion should guide attention, not distract from content. We use subtle AI-themed background orbs with proper accessibility considerations for users who prefer reduced motion.

2. Accessible Color Systems

The gradient palette balances technical aesthetics with accessibility:

Cyan → Iris → Pink creates AI-associated visual language
HSL variables enable consistent theming
Contrast ratios meet WCAG AA standards

3. Content-First Typography

Technical content demands excellent readability with optimized line heights and font features for long-form technical reading.

Performance Optimization Strategies

1. Image Optimization

Next.js Image component with proper sizing and lazy loading ensures optimal performance.

2. Code Splitting

Contentlayer processes MDX at build time, enabling:

Zero runtime overhead for markdown processing
Automatic code splitting for blog posts
Incremental regeneration for new content

3. Bundle Analysis

Regular monitoring ensures lean bundles with key metrics:

First Contentful Paint < 1.8s
Largest Contentful Paint < 2.5s
Cumulative Layout Shift < 0.1

Content Strategy: The Super Sunday Approach

Weekly technical deep-dives provide value while demonstrating expertise.

Upcoming Topics:

SS #02: Reliable evaluation for multilingual summarization
SS #03: Production RAG architectures for news streams
SS #04: MLOps workflows that actually work
SS #05: GPU optimization for inference services
SS #06: Building observable ML pipelines

Key Takeaways

Choose technology that scales with your content ambitions
Prioritize accessibility in motion and color design
Optimize for technical readers who value substance over flash
Document your learning journey through consistent publishing
Build systems that make content creation enjoyable

Next Steps

The complete codebase for this portfolio is available on GitHub. Next week, we'll dive into evaluation frameworks for multilingual AI systems—a crucial but often overlooked aspect of production NLP.

What topics would you like to see covered in future Super Sunday posts? Reach out via the contact form or connect on LinkedIn.

Super Sunday posts publish every Sunday, covering practical AI engineering topics from research to production. Subscribe to stay updated on the latest insights.