Table of Contents
- Why Your Email Design Matters
- Why Email Design Matters for Marketing Campaigns
- Branding
- First Impression
- Device Compatibility
- Engagement
- User Experience
- Compliance
- Deliverability
- Communication
- Conversion Rates
- Customer Satisfaction
- Related Reading
- What Are The Key Elements Of Email Design?
- Header
- Body Content
- Call-to-Action (CTA)
- Images and Visuals
- Footer
- Interactivity
- Mobile-Friendliness
- Related Reading
- 20 Creative Email Design Examples To Inspire Your Next Campaign
- E-commerce Email Design Examples
- 1. J.Crew
- 2. National Mattress Outlet
- 3. Union Made Goods
- 4. Shwood x Stanley
- 5. Forever 21
- Email Newsletter Design Examples
- 6. Collaborative Fund
- 7. GrubHub
- 8. Ollie
- 9. Domino
- Nurturing Email Design Examples
- 10. Uber
- 11. ARMRA
- 12. Litmus
- Loyalty / Rewards Email Examples
- 13. Zoom
- 14. McDonald’s
- 15. Marriott
- 16. Chipotle
- Unsubscribe Email Examples
- 17. Hulu
- 18. Atlas Obscura
- Seasonal Email Examples
- 19. Frontman
- 20. Projects Watches
- Complete Step-by-Step Guide On How To Use Mailsplash’s All-in-one AI Email Solution To Design Emails
- Getting Started: Uploading Brands and Products
- Design & Write Emails with Mailsplash: A Guide
- Generate with AI
- Start from Template
- Sending Emails: Integrate with Any ESP
- 5 Best Practices For Designing Emails
- 1. Clear and Concise Messaging
- 2. Visually Appealing Design
- 3. Strong Call-to-Action
- 4. Mobile Responsiveness
- 5. Personalization
- Create Fully-Built Stunning Email Designs That Convert With Mailsplash
- Related Reading
Do not index
Do not index
Email design examples are a great way to explore the creative boundaries of email marketing and to see what is possible. This blog will introduce various design features, from typography to color schemes, to show you how to experiment with your email design. Email design provides a high level of personalization and connection between brands and their audiences. This blog will also provide a guide to email design software and available templates so that you can get your next email campaign started with ease.
Why Your Email Design Matters
The layout, fonts, colors, images, and interactive features are the building blocks of email design. They are like the ingredients of a recipe that are combined to create a delicious meal. The layout determines how the elements are arranged in the email, where fonts aid in the readability and appearance of the text. Colors evoke emotions and can help with brand recognition. Images make the email visually appealing and help to deliver the message. Interactive features engage the subscriber and can drive more actions from the email.
Why Email Design Matters for Marketing Campaigns
Email design is not just about visuals; it also plays a critical role in ensuring the success of a marketing campaign. A well-designed email can significantly influence various aspects of the campaign, including branding, first impression, device compatibility, engagement, user experience, compliance, deliverability, communication, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction. These aspects are crucial for the success of email marketing campaigns.
Branding
Emails are an extension of a brand's identity. The design elements used in emails should align with the brand's visual identity, colors, and fonts, ensuring a consistent and recognizable experience for subscribers. A well-designed email can help reinforce brand values and build trust with subscribers.
First Impression
The first impression is crucial when it comes to emails. A well-designed email can capture the recipient's attention immediately and encourage them to read further. A clean layout, visually appealing images, and engaging content can make the email stand out in a crowded inbox and pique the recipient's interest.
Device Compatibility
With the increasing use of mobile devices to access emails, it is essential to design emails that are responsive and look good on different screen sizes. A mobile-friendly email design ensures that the email renders correctly on any device, providing a consistent experience for all subscribers.
Engagement
Engaging emails can encourage subscribers to interact with the content, click on links, and take action. Interactive elements like buttons, sliders, and hover effects can make emails more engaging and increase the chances of conversion.
User Experience
A good user experience is essential for retaining subscribers and converting them into customers. A well-designed email should be easy to read, navigate, and interact with. Clear calls-to-action, clickable buttons, and relevant content contribute to a positive user experience.
Compliance
Email design also plays a role in ensuring compliance with email marketing regulations. Emails should include necessary information like physical address, unsubscribe link, and clear identification of the sender. The design should also comply with anti-spam laws.
Deliverability
Email design can impact deliverability by influencing factors like spam filters and email rendering. Emails that are well-designed, optimized for mobile, and include relevant content are more likely to bypass spam filters and land in the inbox.
Communication
Email design is a form of communication between the brand and the recipient. Visual elements like images, colors, and fonts help convey the message effectively. Well-designed emails can communicate the brand's value proposition, promotions, or updates clearly and concisely.
Conversion Rates
A well-designed email can drive higher conversion rates by creating a sense of urgency, highlighting key benefits, and providing clear call-to-action. The design elements used in emails can influence the subscriber's decision to click on a link, make a purchase, or engage with the content.
Customer Satisfaction
A positive email experience can contribute to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Well-designed emails that provide value, relevant content, and an engaging experience can help build trust and long-term relationships with subscribers.
Email design is a critical component of successful marketing campaigns. A well-designed email can enhance branding, create a positive first impression, improve device compatibility, increase engagement, enhance user experience, ensure compliance, boost deliverability, facilitate communication, drive conversion rates, and contribute to customer satisfaction. It is essential for businesses to invest in email design to maximize the effectiveness of their email marketing efforts.
Related Reading
What Are The Key Elements Of Email Design?
Header
The first thing your subscribers see when they open your email is the header. It sets the tone for your message and builds brand recognition. The header typically includes your logo and branding colors, but it can also feature a headline, hero image, or other visual elements.
Body Content
The body content of your email influences how subscribers interact with your email. Fonts, colors, spacing, and layout all play a role in how your subscribers perceive your message. Including white space, or negative space, around elements in your email design can help draw attention to specific items.
Call-to-Action (CTA)
Your call-to-action (CTA) is the element that turns readers into clickers. If no one clicks on your CTA, your email is useless. Your CTA should stand out visually from the rest of your email content and it should be placed where the reader can easily see it. The goal is to make it easy for subscribers to take the next step in your funnel.
Images and Visuals
Images and visuals are more than eye candy. They can help convey a message, evoke an emotion, enhance understanding or add credibility to your email. You can also use videos, gifs, infographics and other multimedia to increase engagement.
Footer
The footer is the section of your email that contains information subscribers need to know or can use. This includes social sharing buttons, a subscription management link, and an unsubscribe link. In the US, it's also required that you include a physical address. In other countries, you may also be required to include other information, like a VAT number.
Interactivity
Email interactivity is a feature in which HTML code is embedded in an email to enable the recipient to interact with the email in some way beyond simply reading it. For example, an interactive email may allow the recipient to complete a form, play a video, or access additional information.
Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile-friendliness is how well your email displays and functions on mobile devices. Across the board, mobile adoption is rising rapidly. In the first half of 2018, 42 percent of all email opens occurred on mobile phones. It's clear that this is where the majority of email interactions are happening.
Related Reading
- Email Graphic Design
20 Creative Email Design Examples To Inspire Your Next Campaign
E-commerce Email Design Examples
1. J.Crew
Sometimes, words can be overrated. Why not let a picture tell the story for you? That's what J.Crew did in this email, anyway. The email is promoting a sale, but you wouldn't know it right away: All you see is the copy, "This is worth the scroll," along with a very long (and very scroll-worthy), high-definition picture of an ice cream cone.
2. National Mattress Outlet
National Mattress Outlet does a good job at incentivizing recipients of their abandoned cart email with discounts (free shipping).
3. Union Made Goods
They opted for a simple design here, which includes a really nice use of both color and white space, making the copy and images that are there pop a little more.
4. Shwood x Stanley
This email from Shwood x Stanley places a big emphasis on those high-quality visuals. We especially adore the textured backgrounds, as well as the ways in which they play with light and shadows.
5. Forever 21
Forever 21 gives a discount and uses dynamic personalization to show them products that interest them.
Email Newsletter Design Examples
6. Collaborative Fund
In design, red and yellow serve as powerful color choices. While red is known to convey power or passion, yellow is often considered both bright and energizing. Although many companies use a big block of color at the top of their newsletters to draw people in, the folks at Collaborative Fund took it a few steps further by combining red and yellow bursts of color throughout the whole email.
7. GrubHub
This email from GrubHub is a great example of product promotion ... because it doesn't sound or feel like product promotion at all. Instead of saying, "Hey, you like food. You should order it using our service!", the email tells a story with the help of a really cool piece of interactive content: a quiz to see what you should serve at your party (see what they did there?).
8. Ollie
Ollie takes this newsletter to the next level with user-generated content. Providing social proof for their subscribers
9. Domino
This newsletter from Domino covers a lot of information: design with storage restrictions, giveaways, a profile piece with Chelsea Handler, bathroom and bedroom design tips, and a call-to-action.
Nurturing Email Design Examples
10. Uber
This email design from Uber skillfully demonstrates the power of data visualization through the use of simple graphs. Rather than relying on words to explain their lowered rates, Uber whipped up a few comparative visuals to do the job.
11. ARMRA
This email follows the zigzag layout making it easy to scan through through for subscribers.
12. Litmus
The email starts out with a bold burst of color, which grabs readers' attention. Below this, you'll find a clean design that includes concise copy, whimsical illustrations, and a great use of white space.
Loyalty / Rewards Email Examples
13. Zoom
This email design is modern and minimalistic, with a white background and blue accents that match Zoom's branding. The use of blue accents and the MasterClass logo helps to draw the recipient's attention to the offer, while the call-to-action button is prominently displayed and easy to click.
14. McDonald’s
The use of a single image and minimal text makes the email easy to read and attention-grabbing
15. Marriott
The email design is visually appealing, with a clean layout and a color scheme that evokes the feeling of summer. The header of the email features the Marriott logo and the subject line, with a blue background that matches the brand's colors.
16. Chipotle
The use of the Chipotle logo and branding helps to establish trust and credibility with the recipient. The design of the email is simple, clear, and effective in achieving its intended purpose.
Unsubscribe Email Examples
17. Hulu
Hulu does a great job at evoking emotions with this email design.
18. Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura gets the message across with this simple and minimalistic unsubscribe email design
Seasonal Email Examples
19. Frontman
This email design is simple and visually appealing, with a focus on the black-and-white color scheme and the bat logo. The call-to-action button is prominently displayed, making it easy for the recipient to take action.
20. Projects Watches
This email from Project Watches is clean, minimal and straight to the point, which is incentivizing with discounts.
Complete Step-by-Step Guide On How To Use Mailsplash’s All-in-one AI Email Solution To Design Emails
Getting Started: Uploading Brands and Products
Before you can generate an email, you’ll need to upload a brand and product.
Navigate to the “Brands” tab and select “Add a Brand”. Once you’ve defined the brand’s name, logo(s), font(s), and color(s), you can upload your product(s).
You can do so by simply pasting in the product link, which will auto-populate the product description, name, and images, as seen below. Now you’re ready to design and write stunning emails with Mailsplash.
Design & Write Emails with Mailsplash: A Guide
Generate with AI
Not sure where to start? From your dashboard, click “Generate with AI” to get to ideating. Simply select the brand(s) and product(s) you’ve uploaded and describe the email you’re looking for (e.g. an email campaign promoting new pants on sale for 25% off). You can even define the design style you’re looking for!
If you’re feeling like a pro, click “Advanced Setup” to get more detailed access to other parameters such as your target audience, the type of email, and so on. Once you’re happy, click generate and watch the magic happen! In 30 seconds or less, you’ll have a email custom-tailored to your input.
Start from Template
Already know what kind of email you’re looking to create? You can then click “Start from Template” and browse through our gallery of templates, curated for the most common use cases. We currently support 21 templates for 7 different categories, but will be continuing to update this based on your feedback! Once you select an email type, you’ll be prompted to select a brand and product and be taken straight to the builder.
Sending Emails: Integrate with Any ESP
When exporting your email generation, you’ll be able to integrate with Klaviyo by inputting your API key. It’s as simple as that. We’re working on adding support for other major ESPs!
Now you should be well-equipped to save time and money on your email marketing.
Still confused? Have feedback? Let us know by sending us an email.
5 Best Practices For Designing Emails
1. Clear and Concise Messaging
When crafting emails, I always prioritize clear and concise messaging. Your email content needs to be straightforward, easy to understand and avoid overwhelming recipients with excessive information. By keeping language simple and free from clutter, you can enhance engagement and drive action from your audience.
2. Visually Appealing Design
Creating visually appealing emails is crucial in making a lasting impression. Utilize clean layouts, vibrant images, and consistent color schemes that reflect your brand identity. Effective use of white space can also improve readability, making your content more digestible and engaging.
3. Strong Call-to-Action
In the world of email design examples, a compelling call to action is an absolute must. Make sure to include a noticeable button prompting recipients to take the desired action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a service, or visiting a website. A clear and persuasive CTA can significantly boost your conversion rates.
4. Mobile Responsiveness
Given the prevalence of mobile devices, designing emails that are mobile-responsive is paramount. Test your emails on different devices to ensure they display correctly on various screen sizes. A seamless user experience across devices can help maximize engagement and drive desired outcomes.
5. Personalization
Personalization is a powerful tool in email design. Address recipients by name, segment your audience based on preferences, and tailor your content to their interests. This level of personalization can enhance engagement, build stronger connections with your audience, and drive higher conversion rates.
Create Fully-Built Stunning Email Designs That Convert With Mailsplash
Mailsplash is an incredible tool for email marketers, allowing you to quickly create stunning and effective email templates. The best part is that you can design and create these templates in a matter of minutes, thanks to the tool’s AI-powered capabilities. Whether you need to set up a full email campaign or a drip flow, Mailsplash has got you covered.
Plus, it doesn’t matter which email service provider you use; Mailsplash is compatible with all major providers. This tool is a game-changer, especially for freelancers, agencies, and brands who want to create personalized, converting email campaigns at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing agencies. With Mailsplash, you can handle everything from email copywriting to branded email template design with ease.
Give it a try today and see for yourself the wonders it can do for your email marketing efforts.
Related Reading
- Figma For Email Design
- Transactional Email Design
- Stripo Alternative
Written by
Hi! I'm Dan Kwon, a growth hacker and digital innovator who first gained social proof by hitting a million social media followers at 17. I founded an AI writing tool startup, propelling it to $1M ARR and over a million users in just 3 months, leading to a successful exit. My specialty lies in creating viral brand identities and understanding Gen Z’s digital marketing landscape. I'm always ready to share practical, real-world insights in digital marketing.
