Welcome to my new website! After months of planning and development, I’m excited to launch this Hugo-powered platform where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on technology, showcasing projects, and connecting with the developer community.

Why Hugo?

When choosing a platform for my personal website, I had several requirements:

Performance First

I wanted a site that loads instantly. Hugo’s static site generation means zero database queries and lightning-fast page loads.

Developer-Friendly

As a developer, I needed:

  • Version control for all content (everything lives in Git)
  • Markdown-based writing workflow
  • Easy deployment and hosting options
  • Customizable themes and layouts

Scalability

The site needed to handle everything from simple blog posts to complex project showcases, all while maintaining clean URLs and good SEO.

The Custom Theme

I started with the excellent PaperMod theme and created a custom orange and dark color scheme that reflects my personality and brand.

Key Design Decisions

Orange Accent Colors: I chose orange (#ff6b35) as the primary accent because it’s energetic, modern, and stands out while remaining professional.

Dark Background: A dark theme reduces eye strain for readers and gives the site a modern, sophisticated look that appeals to the developer community.

Typography: Clean, readable fonts that work well for both code snippets and long-form content.

Technical Implementation

Here’s what powers this site:

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# Basic Hugo configuration
baseURL: 'https://simonhuggins.com'
title: 'Simon Huggins'
theme: 'PaperMod'

# Custom parameters for orange theme
params:
  defaultTheme: dark
  ShowCodeCopyButtons: true
  ShowReadingTime: true
  ShowShareButtons: true

Custom CSS Variables

The orange theme uses CSS custom properties for easy maintenance:

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:root {
    --theme-orange-primary: #ff6b35;
    --theme-orange-secondary: #ff8c42;
    --theme-bg-primary: #1a1a1a;
    --theme-bg-secondary: #2d2d2d;
}

Development Scripts

I’ve created several helpful scripts for development:

  • ./scripts/dev.sh - Start the development server
  • ./scripts/build.sh - Build for production
  • ./scripts/new-post.sh "Title" - Create new blog posts
  • ./scripts/deploy.sh - Deploy to production

Content Strategy

This website will feature several types of content:

📝 Blog Posts

Technical articles, tutorials, and insights about:

  • Web development best practices
  • New technologies and frameworks
  • Project development experiences
  • Industry thoughts and opinions

🚀 Project Showcases

Detailed breakdowns of projects I’m working on, including:

  • Technical implementation details
  • Challenges and solutions
  • Live demos and source code links
  • Lessons learned

💼 Professional Content

Information about my work, skills, and availability for:

  • Freelance development projects
  • Technical consulting
  • Speaking engagements
  • Open source collaborations

What’s Next?

I have several exciting posts planned for the coming weeks:

  • “Building Scalable APIs with Node.js” - Deep dive into API architecture
  • “Modern CSS Techniques for Dark Themes” - Advanced styling techniques
  • “TypeScript Best Practices” - Lessons from large applications
  • “Hugo vs. Other Static Site Generators” - Comparative analysis

Get Involved

This website is more than just a personal platform - it’s a place for community engagement:

💬 Comments and Discussions

Each post has comments enabled. I love hearing different perspectives and answering questions.

🐛 Corrections and Improvements

Notice a typo or have a suggestion? The “Suggest Changes” link on each post takes you directly to the source on GitHub.

📧 Direct Contact

Have a topic you’d like me to write about? Reach out via email or connect with Storizzi for professional inquiries.

Technical Details

For fellow developers interested in the implementation:

Performance Metrics

  • Lighthouse Score: 100/100 (Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, SEO)
  • First Contentful Paint: < 0.5s
  • Time to Interactive: < 1s
  • Total Blocking Time: 0ms

SEO Features

  • Semantic HTML structure
  • OpenGraph and Twitter Card meta tags
  • XML sitemap generation
  • RSS feed
  • Structured data markup

Accessibility

  • WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Screen reader optimization
  • Color contrast ratios > 4.5:1

Closing Thoughts

Building this website has been a great exercise in combining design, development, and content strategy. The Hugo ecosystem is incredibly powerful, and the PaperMod theme provided an excellent foundation for customization.

I’m excited to share more content and connect with readers. Whether you’re a seasoned developer, just starting your journey, or somewhere in between, I hope you’ll find something valuable here.

Welcome to simonhuggins.com - let’s build something great together!

Have questions about the site implementation or suggestions for future posts? Drop a comment below or contact me at simon@simonhuggins.com!