Courses
Fall 2026
In Fall 2026, Renata Ballo teaches courses in web design and digital media at UH Hilo, focused on building creative confidence, technical skills, and real-world design thinking.
Open to all majors • No prior experience needed • Learn step by step
Graphic Design for Web Content
Learn how modern websites are designed and developed, from visual concepts to interactive experiences.
Explore layout design, typography, color, user experience, HTML, CSS, and animation for the web.
Design and build responsive web pages that communicate clearly and function effectively.
This course is designed for both designers curious about coding and coders looking to strengthen their visual skills, as well as beginners exploring both for the first time.
Students create projects that turn visual ideas into structured web content, building practical skills for real-world digital work. Along the way, they explore layout systems, typography, color, and user experience, while learning how to apply the elements and principles of graphic design within a web context.
Projects include designing wireframes, preparing web assets, building responsive layouts for desktop and mobile, creating animation for the web, and refining visual hierarchy for digital environments.
By the end of the course, students understand how design and structure work together and gain confidence shaping clear, effective content for the web.
Introduction to Digital Media
Turn ideas into visuals. Explore the foundations of digital design through the elements and principles of graphic design, typography, color, composition, vector and raster graphics, and a touch of motion.
Expand your creativity, explore modern design tools, build confidence, and begin shaping your creative voice through hands-on projects.
Students explore digital design through a series of hands-on projects that build both technical skills and creative thinking. The course moves across vector and raster workflows, typography, composition, and introductory motion, allowing students to experience different ways of creating and communicating visually.
Projects are grounded in real-world applications, where students create visual work for practical contexts while learning to apply design principles with clarity, intention, and purpose.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on applying the elements and principles of graphic design, using digital tools effectively, and building confidence through process and experimentation.
By the end, students gain a strong foundation in digital media, improved visual awareness, and the ability to approach creative projects with intention, from concept through final outcome.
No textbook required. Free software is used throughout the course.