- HoneyHat

What is Email Design?

Email design refers to the art of creating emails that attract and nurture your target audience, and in many cases motivate them to take a specific action. It is important to create engaging emails which leave a lasting impression.

The design process includes, for example, the creation of an email layout and choosing the right imagery or GIFs. Email design is a strategic approach that can bring benefits to both marketers and business owners.

Why is Email Design Important?

These are the main benefits to a successful email design process

Contributes to brand awareness
Increase conversions/sales by engaging your target audience
This tool helps you to spread information about your products/services
This allows you to become an authority in your niche market
Improves your ROI over time

Email marketing ROI is $42 per dollar. This means that designing meaningful and beautiful emails is crucial to reaching and maintaining this metric.

Email Design Types

What are the most popular email types that you can create for prospects and customers? Let’s take a look at these:

Plain Text

This is the simplest email form. It is only . This email form doesn’t have any formatting or visual enhancements. It may seem more personal, but eCommerce businesses often avoid it because they lack brand identity and are easy to overlook.

Here’s an example of a retail brand.

HTML

These email types contain more engaging content and are made using HTML or CSS language. To provide the best user experience, graphics, buttons and GIFs can be included. Email marketers can create them using drag-and drop editors or pre-made templates from platforms such as Mailchimp or Moosend.

This is Chipotle‘s amazing example:

Interactive

Interactive emails allow users to interact with specific email elements in order to complete an action such as rating a service, taking a quiz, or shopping. Although you can create them with Javascript, many marketers skip them because not all email clients support them. They’ll gain more ground in future.

Take a look at this Disney+ example:

Top 10 Email Design Elements for Effective Campaigns

Are you ready to master the art of email newsletter design? These are the key elements to ensure click-through rates increase.

1. Layout

You must first create an email structure that allows recipients to quickly identify the various parts of your email. A header with the company logo is a common HTML email campaign. A link to your main website can be added to the header. You can also create a title that announces the content of the email, or add imagery to make it stand out.

The “main body” is next. This serves the main purpose for your campaign. There are many layout options available, including single- and multi-column layouts depending on what you want to share with your audience. These are Moosend email templates examples for each scenario.

Inverted pyramid It allows you to remove distractions and direct your readers to the call-to-action faster.

Zigzag: This layout allows you to show your readers lots of information, without taking up too much space or disrupting their concentration.

F-shaped The perfect email structure for cart abandonment emails and other similar campaigns to share some meaningful information and increase conversions.

The email footer is the final step. We will discuss this in detail in the next section. You should design or choose a template that you can customize to keep your brand consistent and present your email content in the best way possible. White space is a great way to allow readers to focus on the important things.

You may like the templates we have provided above. Sign up for a Moosend account to explore our extensive HTML email template collection with designs to suit all tastes.

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2. Email Footer

An email footer should be included at the bottom of every HTLM email campaign. Effective email footers include:

Social media buttons
Unsubscribe link
Preference center
Note on privacy/legal
Contact information

To improve your customer experience, it is important to share information about your company. You can also allow them to unsubscribe and emphasize their freedom. This will reduce spam rates.

A different background color can help you distinguish your content from other content and attract more attention.

This is a great example of a footer from an email newsletter by Zwift. It includes all the information you need:

3. CTA

The call to action button (CTA) is an essential element of any email marketing campaign. It is the magical pathway to the action you want visitors to take, and will direct them to a new page.

Although you can have multiple CTAs within a campaign, it is best to place the primary one at the top of the page, and make sure it stands out. Combine a different color from your palette with actionable copy to increase click through rates.

Secondary CTA buttons can be displayed in lighter colors or made smaller if necessary. It’s better to stick with one action than to confuse or overwhelm readers.

This is how Everlane approached the case

4. Imagery

Let’s now move on to the creative part of email marketing that will help us create beautiful campaigns. These examples demonstrate the importance of using relevant and unique images to communicate the right messages to your target audience.

Your email marketing strategy should include design elements. To make your emails more interactive, you can also embed animated GIFs or videos. To make your email more entertaining, you can include clever emojis.

For images, choose JPEG or PNG formats. Animations can be made using GIFs and APNGs. To speed up loading times and provide the best user experience, you can use tools such as TinyPNG.

To showcase your brand’s colors and inspire creativity in your subscribers, make sure your images match your brand’s colors.

Check out HOKA‘s approach to this:

Moosend makes it easy to add images, videos, or GIFs into your email campaigns. You can choose from one of our pre-made templates or customize it to your specifications.

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5. Typography

There are many font options for email fonts that you can use to communicate your messages. To reduce noise, avoid using more complicated fonts. Take this example:

Arial
Helvetica
Georgia
Tahoma
Times New Roman

Find the best brand option that will best represent your copy. Bold and Italics should be used in moderation if there is something to show. You can also experiment with different headings in order to make your readers move faster through your campaign.

6. Copy

Email copy should be consistent with your email design and style. It should be simple and easy to read. To create a great user experience, you should use headings.

Additionally, make sure that links are embedded in your copy. Make sure that the color for the hyperlinked text is consistent with the rest. It should also be easily recognizable by the readers.

Best Practices in Email Design

These are just a few tips to help marketers create memorable campaigns.

1. Present Your Brand

You should personalize every email campaign that you send. To create consistency and meet customers’ expectations, align your style with other marketing resources such as landing page and social media posts.

Email builders can be used to create ready-made templates for your newsletters and optimize every campaign. To make your values and mission clear to your subscribers, use your colors and voice.

Aside from that, it is important to keep your branding consistent if your CTA buttons link to landing pages. Otherwise, readers might get lost and bounce back before they take the desired action.

Starbucks is a great place to start your next campaign. It is easy to remember the brand logo, colors and copy style.

2. Mobile responsiveness is essential

Statista estimates that 55% of all website traffic came from mobile devices in 2022. One in five campaigns are not optimized to mobile devices. This can cause poor user experience for your audience.

You must create responsive emails that are readable on all devices. Here are some tips that you can use to get started.

Reduce your subject line: This will optimize your subject line for Android users and iPhone users. Keep it to between 25-30 characters
Use clear preview text Keep your preheader text brief and make sure all the important details are included at the end.
Write plain text: Create a plain text format to be used by devices and email clients that can’t read images. This will help you avoid any compromises in your email quality.
Write concise copy People find it difficult to read long forms of text on small screens because they are often in a hurry.
Make sure your CTAs are at least 44×44 pixels in size to stand out from other text.
Use different tools to test:Find a tool to help you determine the performance of different devices.

You can also check the mobile version of Moosend’s templates when you browse their email templates. To ensure maximum results, you can double-check your campaign before it is created.

3. Personalize your campaigns

Personalized marketing is a key component of customer communications. Consumers prefer brands that take into account their preferences and needs. Automation and email segmentation help marketers to send more targeted messages to their subscribers, increasing conversions.

You can personalize your campaign’s design elements by using dynamic to make it more appealing to different users. You can send different emails depending on who you are, for example, gender, location, etc.

Refer to the following example:

Source

4. Make email accessible

It is essential that your email campaigns are accessible to everyone by optimizing their design and readability. These are some ways to make this happen.

Use simple fonts Avoid using italics or excessive underlining that could reduce readability.
Use contrasting colours to improve readability for subscribers with visual impairments.
Add alt texts to images: Give detailed descriptions of images to disabled users who have access to screen readers or text-to-speech software.
Use inclusive languages: Write your copy in plain, gender-neutral language. Avoid jargon and complex words.

5. You can also try A/B testing

A/B testing is a great way to test various email design elements and see which one resonates with your audience.

This allows you to compare two email versions and choose the winner to send to your most active email subscribers. You can test CTA buttons and images or subject lines. This is an excellent tool for any marketer or designer looking to provide a great experience to their subscribers.

Popular Email Design Tool

Do you want to improve your email marketing design with practical tools? These platforms are worth a look:

1. Moosend

Moosend offers an all-in one email marketing platform that has excellent design capabilities. Choose from 75+ HTML templates and then customize them using drag-and-drop.

Moosend templates are mobile-friendly and have slick layouts that increase readability and conversions. Upload your files and brand assets and personalize them to your liking. You can also save your templates to be used again later.

This is an affordable and highly scalable solution to automate all your email marketing efforts starting at $9 per month. Everything you need to know about email marketing, including segmentation and automation as well as sign-up forms and landing page templates.

2. Stripo

Stripo allows you to easily integrate your ESP with to create beautiful emails for your customers. You can drag and drop the editor, as well as over 1100 templates that are suitable for different industries.

Start with a free account that has limited capabilities. Then, you can upgrade to $15/month for one user, 50 Exports and Tests.

3. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is an easy introduction to email marketing. It is an all-inclusive email automation platform that allows readers to create beautiful campaigns in a few easy steps.

The email service has a drag and drop builder, as well as 100 premade templates that can be customized. You can import custom templates when you upgrade to a paid account. It’s not as effective as other platforms, and it is expensive.

4. Unlayer

Unlayer is another option. It allows you to create email templates that are specific to your industry. The templates can be designed and added to your application. It includes pre-made templates, a drag-and drop builder, and dynamic content features. You can also store custom files.

The free plan is limited in capabilities. The paid plan starts at $20/month.

Top 5 Email Design Examples from Top Brands

Let’s take a look at five campaigns that use responsive design. They all tick all the boxes.

1. Canva Welcome Email Design Example

Subject line: Canva

The design platform Canva understood how to grab their readers’ attention from the first glance. The design platform started with a brief message, followed by a clear CTA which directs users to the platform to get to work.

They’ve included two images in this newsletter. The one at the top highlights the creative process and the second shows a snapshot of the platform. They also included a brief copy that highlights the most important features of the tool as well as a second call to action with the same destination.

The email footer contains the main company details, as well as two links, including an unsubscribe button and icons for social media.

2. Moschino’s Cart Abandonment Email Design Example

Subject line: You left some

Cart abandonment emails have high open and click-through rate, so email marketers need to pay more attention when creating them. This great example from MOSCHINO demonstrates it all.

The newsletter begins with a striking fashion image and then a CTA that leads consumers to the checkout page. The newsletter continues with information about the benefits and products that customers have added to their carts. This email contains two call-to action buttons. They are placed in different colors to increase click-throughs.

3. Atoms’ Special Sale Email Design Example

Subject line Ending tonight – 15% off Back 2 School

Email campaigns don’t have to be flawless. Atoms created a simple newsletter to get to the point: the discount code.

They chose to depict a pair of shiny shoes with cute design elements that emphasize the back-to school theme. They added the code to a prominent place, so no one could miss it, and gave information about how to claim it.

4. MeUndies Confirmation Email Design Example

Subject line: Your Order Has Shipped

It’s not true that confirmation emails need to be boring and monotonous. While the content is key to these emails, you can also creatively showcase your brand like MeUndies.

They have added the brand’s main colors, a referral program and a product image to the shipping information. To nurture customers further, they have added creative design elements to the email footer and copied lines.

5. Lyft Feedback Collection Email Examples

Subject line: Enter for a chance to win a gift certificate for feedback

Last but not least, another Lyft campaign was saved that does the job. The yellow background makes the design elements stand out, such as the CTA button.

If you are looking to create a campaign similar to the one above, keep it simple and avoid using noisy layouts.

The Takeaways

Email design and copy are crucial for email campaigns’ success. To create campaigns that are unique, you only need to choose the right tools and unleash your creativity.

FAQs Email Design

Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions regarding email design.

1. How can you design an email?

To stand out, you will need to create a clean layout that includes a header, main body, email footer, and email footer. You can also place your design elements or copy strategically.

2. What is the secret to a great email design

Email campaigns that are well-designed and have clear margins with minimal noise will be successful.

3. How do I customize my email design?

Include your logo and brand colors. Add an email footer that includes information about your company (such as contact information, website, etc.).

Email Design: The Ultimate Guide for 2023 [+Best Pracies] was first published on Email Marketing Automation Platform to Thriving Companies.

Author: Alexandra Marinaki

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