http://isinvisible.com/
“Is Invisible”, surprisingly and unfortunately, is not a website looking to sell invisibility cloaks and comic book X-ray specs, rather recommending a products and gadgets designed to be as minimalist as possible. The general theme of its wares can be described as “clean efficiency”. It’s worth noting the website doesn’t actively sell goods, rather acting as a hub for minimalist products.
Much like the gadgets and gear the site advertises, the website is all about efficiency. Nothing is flashy. The color scheme of the site itself is monochromatic, existing entirely within the gray-scale. The products themselves are showcased in color, but even then they’re more muted than saturated. It’s about displaying a realistic look at the products, not demanding attention towards any one thing. Further safeguarding the calm design the website doesn’t house video or banner advertisements. No need for Ad-block here.
The products are split into two columns, one on either side of the screen. There’s a simple picture of each product, the price, and then the next product. Rinse and repeat. The name of the site sits at the upper left corner of the page and will scroll down with the page. A question mark sits in the lower right. Clicking it pulls up a what is essentially a text box explaining the idea behind the website, as well as naming the two people maintaining the site. Clicking on any of the products opens up another page, to the site that sells the desired product.
Being a single page site, the only real navigation is scrolling up or down. This design choice is perfect for the site, again keeping with the minimalistic theme. As a person well versed with the internet, scrolling down was a natural progression to navigate the site. Someone less accustomed may have trouble, as there’s no obvious hint that there’s more below. This could be seen as a flaw, but given the nature of the site it’s perfectly acceptable. Adding even an arrow pointing down, or having the next product picture visible at the bottom of the page, would disrupt the clean looking site.
As implied, the website is perfectly designed for its purpose. The benefit of the sites theme matching the theme of the products it advertises is subtle but brilliant. It’s clean, minimalist, but still extremely clear on with how to navigate. It’s incredibly well designed for its purpose. The only thing that doesn’t work is the prices. They certainly aren’t minimalist.
~Jeremy Molinari