This is the public repository of braican.com, Nick Braica's portfolio site. This repo includes both the frontend and the api end, which is set up with WordPress.
To set up a local environment complete with a WordPress instance and the Gatsby frontend, you should run the following:
# Make sure you're using the right node version.
nvm install
# Install the docker container for wordpress and node dependencies.
./bin/install
# Start all the things.
./bin/start
Released 08/18/2019
Version seven moves the tech stack to using Gatsby to generate the static, single page site. The design moves to a more text-centric approach; no more corny images for projects, for example.
Released 07/09/2018
Version six is a slight aesthetic improvement, but a total overhaul in the technology and the code behind the site. I kept WordPress on to handle my content, but am using it solely as a platform to create a content API that provides json endpoints for the data. The front end is handled by Hugo, a static site generator. The json data is downloaded via a gulp task that Hugo then renders.
The reasoning for the change was simple - I don't have that much content, and I didn't need an entire CMS to handle just some case studies and an introduction.
Released 01/06/2018
The fifth iteration of braican.com saw a focus on a simpler approach. A brief intro, thumbnails of projects that link to brief case studies, and a contact form make up the whole site. This version is completely powered by WordPress.
I started working on the site on December 8, 2017, and initially launched it about a month later.
Released 03/19/2014
Moving to a CMS driven site for the first time, I developed a custom, one page WordPress theme that consisted of sections for my work, about me, and contact links. This is the first braican.com iteration to be fully responsive. I utilized AJAX and the HTML5 history API to navigate to the portfolio items and case studies. To date, this has been the longest running braican.com iteration.
Released 09/30/2011
Another static site with WordPress driving the blogging funtionality. This iteration was a complete redesign from the previous site, and featured large banners across each page with a fixed, full-screen image. This site is not responsive, but does include some nifty animations throughout. And man, I really liked those sliders on the homepage.
This is the site that was live when I was hired as a co-op at The Boston Globe, as well as when I graduated from college and was hired full-time by Tank Design. So I guess you could say that this one was good enough to get me a couple jobs.
Released 10/20/2010
A modification of the first iteration, this was a static html site that used WordPress only to power the blog. This version highlighted the breadth of work that I had completed up until that point, which included a slew of classwork and other personal projects in several different mediums that were completed throughout the years.
I was also able to highlight The Girl From Last Night, perhaps the college project I'm most proud of.
Released ??/??/??
This one's been lost to time. It was a very basic, static site that highlighted some schoolwork. There was a really cool grayscale gradient background.