aspects of invisible design

In her Applied Arts Magazine article "Making Design Invisible", Christine Moog points out several aspects of the fact that the digital era is slowly transforming design to an invisible discipline.

- Digital design can be an ephemeral discipline (i.e. a website or on-line animation can be altered or disappear with a click of a mouse. The temporary nature of the medium provides a constantly morphing platform on which to explore ideas.

- Hard copy materials, such as books and magazines, even old fashioned CV's, will become extinct since on-line material offer information without actual substance.

- The same happens with music. A downloaded music file comes without a CD, packaging, branding or typography.

So, design is becoming more and more invisible. Electronic templates, interface design, multimedia and gaming programs are all elements that have made design more invisible than ever before. A series of transparent steps and processes have occurred from this automated reality. But according to the author, what seems as a threat, may lead designers to new paths and directions. In a digital world where our attention span is limited and the aesthetic part of design is becoming invisible, designers are challenged to catch the audiences eyes with alternative aesthetic and conceptual tools.

I also believe that there is another aspect to invisible design and that is white label design. Some interfaces, layouts or even products have such a simple or "boring" look to them, as if they were not designed. Still they are practical and very useful. Facebook for example has a basic template, that becomes alive through customization. The world famous Bic lighter; we take it so much for granted, but its simplicity, practicality and the fact that it can be disposed and replaced, have earned it a place among the worlds design masterpieces. Is invisibility a factor of good design?