David Cui — Portfolio

A personal portfolio site. Plain static site (HTML, CSS, JS) with no build step, so it deploys anywhere with zero configuration and a custom domain is just a DNS change later.

portfolio/
├── index.html      # home: robotics, social impact, violin
├── sotm.html       # writeup: shoot-on-the-move targeting system
├── sim.html        # writeup: Unity robotics simulator
├── styles.css      # styling (shared by all pages)
├── main.js         # scroll reveals + footer year
├── images/         # photos and logos
└── README.md

Run locally

Just open index.html in a browser. Or, for a local server (fonts/canvas behave best this way):

# Python 3
python -m http.server 8000
# then visit http://localhost:8000

Put it on GitHub

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial portfolio"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/portfolio.git
git push -u origin main

After this, every git push updates the live site automatically once it's connected to a host.

Deploy to Vercel (use this now — free, no domain needed)

1. Go to vercel.com and sign in with GitHub.
2. Add New → Project, import this repo.
3. Framework preset: Other. Leave build command and output empty (it's static).
4. Deploy. You get a live URL like your-portfolio.vercel.app.

That URL is fully live and shareable. You can put it in your Common App right away.

Add a custom domain later (no code changes)

When you buy a domain (e.g. davidcui.dev):

1. In Vercel: Project → Settings → Domains → Add, type your domain.
2. Vercel shows you DNS records to add.
3. In your registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.), add those records.
4. Wait a few minutes. The domain now points at the same deployment.

Nothing in the code changes — the domain is just a new address for the same site.

Alternative host: GitHub Pages

This also works with no changes:

1. Repo Settings → Pages.
2. Source: Deploy from a branch, branch main, folder / (root).
3. Save. Site goes live at YOUR_USERNAME.github.io/portfolio.

A custom domain can be added here too, under the same Pages settings.

Editing notes

• Keep claims checkable. Every number on the site should be one you could back up if someone asked. Prefer describing what you built and what you learned over headline stats.
• Images: anything over ~300 KB should be resized before committing. Square logos use class="imgfill imgfill--logo" so they aren't cropped; photos use plain imgfill.
• New writeup page: copy sim.html, change the <main class="page"> content. It picks up the shared nav, footer, and styles automatically.