ʻĀkōlea visual

Two Decades of Visual Design, Rooted in Hawaiʻi

Alan Ohara

I'm a visual designer from Hilo, Hawaiʻi. I've spent two decades building websites, brand identities, and print work for organizations that care deeply about this place — its people, its culture, its future. I work independently, take on projects I believe in, and stay with clients long enough to know their story well.

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Eras of Practice

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work with some amazing creatives, collaborators, and business owners. These eras represent different chapters of that journey. Each one shaped by new challenges, different roles, and a growing design practice.

Hualalai Ohana foundation endowment piece

2019-Present

ʻĀkōlea Visual

ʻĀkolea Visual is freelance engine — visual identity design, web, print, interactive, and consulting for organizations, small business, and people that care about place and footprint.

2022-2026

Tetrachrome

I cofounded Tetrachrome — a collaborative studio built for larger projects. We brought strategy, design, photography, and video together under one roof.

2019-2023

White Stone Marketing

At WSM I designed and built dozens of sites, took on a leadership role, and helped refine internal workflows. I stepped back into direct design work where I felt most fullfilled.

Photography composite of a model waʻa and a digital painted background

2016–2019

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association

At HPPA, I went in-house and went deep — rebuilt their site, modernized systems, and designed everything from hoodies to an award-winning impact report.

2012-2016

ʻEna Media Hawaiʻi

Co-founded ʻEna Media Hawaiʻi — we provided graphic design, video, photo, web all in one house. Working with that crew sharpened everything.

(2006–2012)

Alan Ohara Designs

Alan Ohara Designs was all self-taught, all scrappy — Joomla! CMS sites and a lot of figuring it out as I went. Those were the years where I found my footing.

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