naderhelmy.com
This website. A digital homestead built from scratch with Next.js, MDX, and intention.
The site you're looking at right now.
Why build your own site?
In an era of social media profiles and no-code templates, building a personal website from scratch is a deliberate choice. It's slower, harder, and entirely worth it.
This site is a digital homestead -- a place I own and shape, not a profile on someone else's platform. Every design decision, every line of code, every word is intentional.
Technical approach
- Next.js 15 with the App Router for static generation and server-side rendering
- Velite for type-safe MDX content processing with Zod schemas
- Tailwind CSS 4 for utility-first styling with custom CSS for expression
- Motion for spring-physics animations and page transitions
- Vercel for zero-config deployment
Design philosophy
The design starts minimal and evolves. Dark background, warm off-white text, bold serif headlines. Every visual decision is made by looking at the live site, not by describing colors in a chat.
Content follows the digital garden model: pieces start as seeds, grow over time, and some become evergreen.