Tuğba Demirbaş

The brief

A working visual artist needed a portfolio that felt like a catalog, not a website — and that she could update herself without learning to deploy. The brief was deliberately minimal: don't get in the way of the work.

The challenge

Editorial typography, image-heavy layouts, and a content model that's ergonomic for a non-technical owner — without a full-blown CMS budget.

How we approached it

• MDX-driven exhibition archive — each show is a document the artist edits directly, with images managed as plain folders.
• Editorial grid inspired by art-book layouts: asymmetric, breathing, image-led, typography-secondary.
• Zero JavaScript on the critical path for image pages; all transitions CSS-based for reliability.

Outcome

• Artist maintains the site independently; new exhibitions go live in minutes.
• Site is a working portfolio used in gallery submissions and grant applications.
• Perfect Core Web Vitals scores — image-heavy but fast.

Stack

• Next.js · MDX
• Next/Image · AVIF
• Vercel
• Custom editorial CSS

Services engaged

• Web development
• Brand identity