Axioms of Web Design

Bodega's name speaks for itself.  It is a small bodega located in downtown Salt Lake City, specializing in beers, empanadas, and small knick-knack type items.  However, below it lies a speakeasy bar and restaurant.  To keep the restaurant's (known as The Rest) mystery, the owners do not advertise it anywhere.  One has to hear about it through word of mouth.  This makes the goal of the website a little different than the average website, a challenge that I believe the designers conquered.

This is a picture of the main screen on the mobile version.  (It should be noted that the mobile and web version are identical.)  You can see that it simply features a photograph of the face of the bodega; the colors are muted blacks and grays allowing for the name of the shop to really pop as it is a bright green.  This presentation is extremely simple and, I believe also intuitive.  In the top left corner there is a button which is the universal symbol for "menu."  If one clicks on this link it will bring them to a list of essential information which a customer would seek from a website.  These include the menu, the hours and reviews.  Again, the color palette and the fonts are simple and sleek.  Overall, this is an effective approach, but one that some may find boring.  However, the fun lies in the portion of the website that is not quite so intuitive.

If one clicks on the green glowing sign that says "restroom" it will automatically scroll the visitor down, through creepy black and white images that eventually lead to a small button allowing the visitor to make a reservation at the speakeasy.  I love this little feature because I think the fact that clicking on the link is not something a visitor would intuitively do adds to the secrecy and the "word of mouth" feel that makes The Rest so unique.  Additionally, the creepy old photographs play into the psychological context, making the visitor feel that they are participating in something dangerous and wild.  Also, the fact that it scrolls the visitor down, literally gives the feeling of going underground.  It's perfect really.

The only thing that I do not understand about this site, and that I would probably change, is the other glowing sign that appears on the main photo.  I don't understand why they chose to make this sign color among all the other black and white images.  It makes one think that perhaps it is also a button, but it is not.  I would prefer the stark contrast of the all black and white site up against the two bright green signs.  I think this leads and points to the idea that the visitor should click on the glowing green sign, without making it too obvious.  The other glowing sign just seems to add confusion and clutter to an otherwise really clean design.

The site is incredibly consistent if one clicks on the various menu options.  Each features a prominent black and white image that serves as a background for the text.  Though the images are interesting and large in size, they do not distract from the important information on the page.  Also, they provide continuity between the site and the actual store, as one will find some of these images on the walls of the bodega.