Build a Responsive Portfolio Website with HTML and TailwindCSS: A Beginner’s Guide
Learn how to create a modern, responsive portfolio website using HTML and TailwindCSS. This step-by-step guide helps you build and customize a sleek online showcase for your projects and skills.
Introduction:
In today's digital age, having a well-designed portfolio website is essential for developers, designers, and creatives. It's your online business card, showcasing your skills, projects, and experiences to potential clients or employers. While there are many tools and platforms available to create portfolios, building your own from scratch using HTML and TailwindCSS gives you full control over the design and functionality. In this article, I'll guide you through the process of creating a responsive and visually appealing portfolio website step by step.
Why Use TailwindCSS?
TailwindCSS is a utility-first CSS framework that allows you to design websites quickly and efficiently. Unlike traditional CSS frameworks, Tailwind doesn't come with predefined components or themes. Instead, it provides low-level utility classes that you can mix and match to create custom designs without ever leaving your HTML file. This makes it incredibly flexible and ideal for building unique and personalized portfolio websites.
Prerequisites:
Before we dive into the tutorial, make sure you have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. Familiarity with TailwindCSS is a plus, but not required as we'll cover everything you need to know.
Video Tutorial if you don't like to read complete blog
Step 1: Setting Up the Project
First, let's set up our project directory and include TailwindCSS. You can create a new folder on your computer and navigate into it via your terminal. Inside the folder, create an index.html file where we'll write our HTML code.
Next, you'll need to install TailwindCSS. The easiest way to do this is by including the TailwindCDN in the head section of your HTML file:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="ie=edge" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>
<script src="./tailwind.config.js"></script>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
<link
href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;500;600;700&display=swap"
rel="stylesheet"
/>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="./index.css" />
<title>Portfolio</title>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Content will go here -->
</body>
</html>This will allow you to use TailwindCSS directly in your project without any additional setup.
Step 2: Adding Sections
Now that we have the basic structure in place, let's add some important sections which will give webiste visitors complete information about you. TailwindCSS makes it easy to style your website by adding utility classes directly to your HTML elements.
Header Styling:
We'll start from header and make it responsive only with CSS:
<header class="bg-secondary pt-5 pb-10 lg:pb-0">
<nav
class="container px-5 md:mx-auto flex flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-5"
>
<img src="./assets/logo.svg" alt="portfolio logo" />
<label for="menu-toggle" class="cursor-pointer lg:hidden block">
<svg
class="fill-current text-gray-900"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
width="20"
height="20"
viewBox="0 0 20 20"
>
<title>menu</title>
<path d="M0 3h20v2H0V3zm0 6h20v2H0V9zm0 6h20v2H0v-2z"></path>
</svg>
</label>
<input class="hidden" type="checkbox" id="menu-toggle" />
<ul
id="menu"
class="hidden lg:flex w-full lg:w-auto flex-wrap items-center gap-10"
>
<li class="py-1 lg:py-0">Home</li>
<li class="py-1 lg:py-0">About</li>
<li class="py-1 lg:py-0">Blog</li>
<li class="py-1 lg:py-0">Projects</li>
<li class="py-1 lg:py-0">Videos</li>
<li
class="h-10 w-10 mt-3 md:mt-0 rounded-full bg-primary text-white text-lg flex items-center justify-center"
>
<ion-icon name="mail"></ion-icon>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
<!-- Hero Section-->
</header>Hero Section:
This section will have brief information about you like Name and short description.
<div class="container px-5 md:mx-auto flex items-center gap-10 mt-10">
<div class="w-full lg:w-1/2">
<h3 class="font-normal mb-3 text-2xl">Hey there,</h3>
<h1 class="font-bold text-5xl lg:text-8xl my-3">I'm Ghazi</h1>
<p class="mt-5 mb-10 md:text-lg">
I'm developer focused on crafting user‑friendly experiences, I am
passionate about building excellent software.
</p>
<a
href="#"
target="_blank"
class="bg-primary shadow-md text-white px-5 py-2 rounded my-10"
>
Download CV
</a>
</div>
<div class="hidden lg:block lg:w-1/2">
<img src="./assets/character.svg" alt="ghazi's avatar" />
</div>
</div>Experience and Tech Stack:
A section where you will inform visitors about your experience and tech stacks you work with.
<section class="bg-primary py-5 text-white">
<div
class="container px-5 md:mx-auto grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-3 gap-5 md:gap-10"
>
<div class="flex items-center gap-5">
<h1 class="text-6xl lg:text-9xl font-bold">10</h1>
<h2 class="text-2xl lg:text-3xl">
Years of <br />
Experience
</h2>
</div>
<div
class="col-span-2 border-t pt-8 mt-5 md:border-t-0 md:pt-0 md:mt-0 md:justify-self-end"
>
<h3 class="text-2xl lg:text-3xl mb-5">Tech stacks I work with</h3>
<div class="flex gap-5 flex-wrap text-4xl md:text-3xl lg:text-6xl">
<ion-icon name="logo-react"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-javascript"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-nodejs"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-angular"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-html5"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-css3"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-sass"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-wordpress"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-github"></ion-icon>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>Latest Blogs:
You will showcase some of your latest blogs in this section
<section class="container md:mx-auto px-5 py-10">
<div class="flex items-end flex-wrap gap-10 justify-between">
<div>
<h1 class="text-3xl font-semibold">Latest Blogs</h1>
<p class="text-gray-500 font-light">
I write blogs on various topics related to software development
</p>
</div>
<a href="#" class="underline text-primary font-normal"
>Explore More Blogs</a
>
</div>
<div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-5 mt-10">
<!-- Blog 1-->
<div>
<img
src="./assets/blog-1.png"
alt="web dev should learn digital marketing"
class="w-full object-cover shadow-lg"
/>
<h1 class="text-xl font-semibold mt-5">
Why Web Developers Should Learn Digital Marketing
</h1>
<p class="text-gray-400 font-light mt-2">Ghazi Khan | June 7, 2021</p>
<p class="font-light mt-4">
Web Development is a competitive industry, with many talented
individuals vying for the top spot. If you are looking to rise above
your competitors.
</p>
</div>
<!-- Blog 2-->
<!-- Blog 3-->
</div>
</section>Step 4: Add other sections
Add all other related sections
<section class="bg-dark-green py-10 text-white">
<div class="container md:mx-auto px-5">
<h1 class="text-2xl md:text-3xl lg:text-4xl font-semibold">
Get notified on latest blogs & videos
</h1>
<div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-3 mt-4 gap-2">
<input
type="text"
placeholder="Enter email address"
required
class="bg-transparent text-md border border-primary w-full col-span-2 px-5 py-2"
/>
<button class="bg-primary px-5 py-2 shadow-md rounded">
Subscribe to newsletter
</button>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<section class="container md:mx-auto px-5 py-16">
<h1 class="text-center text-3xl font-semibold mb-5 text-3xl">
Connect with me on Social Media
</h1>
<div
class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-5 text-primary text-4xl lg:text-5xl"
>
<ion-icon name="logo-linkedin"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-youtube"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-twitter"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-instagram"></ion-icon>
<ion-icon name="logo-facebook"></ion-icon>
</div>
</section>
<footer class="bg-primary text-white py-3 text-center px-auto">
<p>Copyright 2024 | Code With Ghazi</p>
</footer>Step 5: Deploying Your Portfolio
Once you're happy with your portfolio, it's time to deploy it so the world can see it! There are many ways to deploy a static website, including GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Vercel. Each of these services offers easy deployment options, often with just a few clicks.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You've successfully built a responsive and customizable portfolio website using HTML and TailwindCSS. This website serves as a solid foundation that you can expand and personalize as your skills and portfolio grow. TailwindCSS's utility-first approach makes it incredibly efficient to create a design that fits your unique style. Now, go ahead and share your portfolio with the world!
If you found this guide helpful, be sure to check out the full video tutorial for a more in-depth walkthrough and additional tips on customizing your portfolio.
Happy coding! 🎉
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