Winning 1st place in an International Web Design Competition held at Politeknik Negeri Sambas — competing against participants from both Indonesia and Malaysia — was one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic journey. The theme challenged me in ways I didn't expect, and the result ended up being one of my favorite projects to date.
The Competition
This was an international-level competition open to students from Indonesia and Malaysia. Participants were tasked with building a tourism website highlighting must-visit destinations within a limited time frame. I chose to focus on Malang — one of East Java's most iconic travel destinations — showcasing places like:
- Mount Bromo — the breathtaking volcanic landscape that Malang is famous for
- Coban Rondo Waterfall — a hidden gem surrounded by lush forest
- Balekambang Beach — a scenic coastal destination with a Hindu temple on the shore
- Jodipan Colorful Village — the vibrant Instagram-famous neighborhood
The goal was to create a site that would make visitors genuinely want to book a trip — not just display information.
Tech Stack
I built the entire website using:
- Next.js — for fast page rendering and clean routing between destinations
- Tailwind CSS — for rapid, consistent styling without writing a single line of custom CSS
Choosing Next.js was a deliberate decision — competitors using plain HTML lost time on repetitive code while I focused entirely on design and content quality.
Design Approach
For a tourism site, visuals are everything. My design choices:
- Hero sections with full-bleed landscape photography to immediately immerse visitors
- Card-based destination layout with hover animations to encourage exploration
- Warm earth tones (greens, browns, sunset oranges) to evoke nature and adventure
- Mobile-first layout — because most travelers browse on their phones
Key Lessons Learned
- Framework choice matters under time pressure. Next.js + Tailwind let me move faster than competitors using vanilla HTML/CSS.
- Emotion-driven design wins. Judges aren't just evaluating code — they're evaluating whether the site makes them feel something.
- Content is part of the design. Carefully chosen destination names, descriptions, and photography made the site feel complete and professional.
What's Next
This win pushed me to explore more immersive web experiences. I'm currently experimenting with scroll-driven animations and 3D elements to take tourism-style storytelling to the next level.
If you ever participate in a web design competition — choose a stack you know deeply, and design for feeling, not just function.