The hemiporphyrazine variants hydroxybenziphthalocyanine and dihydroxybenziphthalocyanine can be generated via sequential Schiff base condensation reactions by using bis(diiminoisoindoline) benzene intermediates. These compounds are not aromatic due to the lack of conjugation across the benzene rings, yet these macrocycles exhibit striking absorption bands in the low energy region of the UV-visible spectrum.