Email design

Email design is the process of creating visually appealing emails that resonate with the target audience. It includes choosing the most appropriate layouts, fonts, colors, graphics, and compelling copy, allowing business owners to establish connections with subscribers, grab their attention, communicate the main message, and encourage them to take the desired action.

In this article, we’ll unveil why email design is essential and review its 12 most important elements. We’ll also provide 12 effective email design best practices and 5 excellent examples.

Why is email design important?

Email design is essential because it significantly influences the success of your marketing campaigns. Here are some more reasons to pay close attention to your email design.

It has an impact on the following aspects:

• Well-defined branding. A well-structured and consistent email design contributes to establishing brand identity. Logos, colors, and fonts associated with your company enable customers to recognize and remember your brand, building trust and brand recognition.
• Positive first impression. When subscribers open your email campaign, they first notice your email design. A visually appealing email containing all the necessary elements establishes a positive first impression, grabs recipients’ attention, and encourages them to interact with your company.
• Device compatibility. Mobile-optimized emails allow customers to access your email campaigns from any device and location. With mobile-friendly email designs, you can ensure your email looks good on every screen, improving user experience and providing seamless communication with your brand.
• Higher engagement. Since people pay closer attention to emails with compelling visuals and well-crafted design elements, you can improve engagement by applying these elements. Interactive design and clear call-to-action buttons help boost click-through rates and improve interactions with your content.
• Enhanced user experience. A well-structured email design allows you to improve your overall experience with your email campaigns. Subscribers can easily read your emails, navigate through them, quickly find the necessary information, and understand your main message. A positive user experience with your email campaigns contributes to higher engagement and customer satisfaction.
• Compliance and deliverability. Emails created based on the latest requirements and standards ensure they will be securely delivered to your recipients. Building compelling email campaigns allows you to reach inboxes without being marked as spam.
• Clear message. A good email design enables you to communicate your main message accurately to the target audience. The right use of layout, fonts, and images helps you successfully deliver information, avoiding misinterpretation and confusion.
• Higher conversion rates. Persuasive copy and well-placed call-to-action buttons help you improve conversions. Regardless of the key goal of your email campaigns, a visually appealing email design empowers you to establish a connection with the audience and influence your subscribers’ behavior.

When all these elements are correctly incorporated into your email design, you can improve customer satisfaction and user experience, boost engagement, and encourage customers to take the desired action.

Creating a compelling email design requires you to know and follow all the crucial elements a good email campaign should have. In the next section, we’ll come closer to email design elements and explore them in detail.

12 Most Important Email Design Elements

To create an effective email design, you need to combine different elements successfully. By adding these elements, you’ll be able to send visually appealing, engaging, and impactful messages. We’ve compiled a list of the most important email design elements, which you can check below.

1. Clear and accurate subject line. An email subject line is the first thing subscribers see when they open their inboxes. It also defines whether potential customers will open your emails. Eye-catching and compelling subject line encourages recipients to open your email campaigns and scan them through.
2. Branding and header. Establishing brand identity is a must in all business areas, including email campaigns. Your company logo and recognizable header will contribute to the effectiveness of your emails and brand recognition. By implementing consistent branding, your company gains trust and lets subscribers quickly identify your brand.
3. Engaging visuals. A quality email should include visuals in addition to text elements, improving readability and complementing your message. Visually appealing images allow you to establish emotional connections with your audience, show your products and services, or expose concepts.
4. Organized layout. A well-organized layout helps you guide subscribers through your email content. Email campaigns containing a visual hierarchy help highlight the most important information and CTAs.
5. Readable fonts and font sizes. Appropriate fonts and font sizes ensure that customers can read your content without any effort. You can feature specific points and improve readability with font styles and formatting.
6. Color scheme. It has been scientifically proven that colors have a psychological effect on people. For example, if you use warm colors like red, orange, and yellow in your emails, they help stimulate energy, while cool colors like blue and green have a soothing and calming effect. A color scheme is essential for consistency in branding and company style. You can establish recognition and evoke emotions when consistently using your brand color scheme for email campaigns. When you utilize colors wisely, you can create an aesthetically appealing email that people want to read.
7. Compelling copy. Clear copy allows you to deliver your main message accurately. With the right language, you can establish interaction with potential customers and encourage action.
8. Visible and clear CTAs. Call-to-action buttons prompt clients to take action. After exploring your email and deciding to take action, prospects search for CTAs where to complete their purchases. Prominent and clear calls to action guide clients to the desired action.
9. Footer. A footer is another essential element of email design that provides subscribers with your company contact details, unsubscribe links, and links to your social media. This element is a must for ensuring trustworthiness and compliance with regulations.
10. White space. White space helps you divide your text into sections and improve readability. It helps subscribers instantly find the necessary information, establish a balance between text and visual elements, and avoid clutter.
11. Personalization. With personalization, you can establish an emotional connection with customers and prompt higher engagement. People are more likely to open emails when they include their names, information related to their interests, or products they were looking for. Analysis of previous subscribers’ activity and search history enables you to lead prospects toward a purchase.
12. Social media integration. Social media icons and links help you interact with leads on numerous platforms, increasing the chances of conversion. You get a wider reach, and more customers share your brand with friends and family.

Now that the elements are clear, it’s time to proceed to the next section and explore valuable tips on creating a compelling email design that converts.

13 Email Design Best Practices

With an effective email design, you can reach numerous business goals faster. Here are some best practices to consider when developing a new email campaign that resonates with your target audience and meets their expectations.

1. Tailor a powerful subject line. A subject line influences whether subscribers will open your emails. If you want to achieve higher open rates, consider crafting a concise and compelling subject line that encourages subscribers to open your emails. This short statement should grab attention and encourage them to read.
2. Add a catchy preheader. A preheader is a short description of an email's content and the second email element subscribers see when opening their inboxes. Therefore, you should create a preheader that stands out and grabs attention. When writing your preheader, consider creating a short statement that communicates the main message of your email.
3. Include branding elements. To ensure that customers understand that emails are from you, you need to include elements associated with your company. Colors and fonts should be similar to those you use for your website and social media. Maintain a consistent tone across all content on your website and other company materials. Utilizing a cohesive design strategy for logos, colors, and fonts in your emails enhances brand recognition and cultivates a unified brand identity across various communication channels.
4. Utilize personalization. If you want to connect with each of your subscribers and prompt the desired action, you need to craft your emails based on recipients’ names, interests, preferences, and actions. With personalization, you’ll be able to establish trusting relationships with your potential customers. SendPulse allows you to send 15,000 emails that resonate with your audience for free with the help of personalization and segmentation features.
5. Consider using a bulk email service. If you don’t want to create your email design from scratch, consider using a special platform. This service will ensure the mobile-first design and make your emails look perfect on any screen. Bulk email solutions often provide a library of pre-built templates that you can modify and match with your branding. SendPulse is equipped with all the necessary features for creating compelling email designs. Leverage its templates, personalization, segmentation, and A/B testing to compose an engaging email.
6. Use dynamic content. Enhance your marketing strategy by incorporating captivating content that fosters meaningful interaction. Tailor this content to resonate with your prospects' preferences, interests, and search history. Delivering pertinent information captures subscribers' interest and enables them to discover products that address their specific needs and challenges.
7. Design CTAs that evoke action. Elevate your conversion rates by prioritizing clear, prominent call-to-action buttons in your emails. Ensure these CTAs lead clients seamlessly to your website or social media platforms or facilitate contact with your agents. Craft compelling calls to action that entice leads, transforming them into valued clients.
8. Include the unsubscribe button. Email campaigns are effective when you provide relevant information to subscribers. Yet, sometimes, customers’ preferences change, and they no longer need to receive updates on your products or services. So, adding a clear and visible unsubscribe button to each email is necessary. It will allow customers to have a positive image of your brand.
9. Add visual elements. When creating emails, you should ensure the readability of your email campaigns. Visuals allow you to divide your text into sections and keep subscribers focused and interested in your message. These visuals can include videos, GIFs, images, and infographics. By leveraging visual elements, you’ll be able to ensure a memorable experience for your customers.
10. Choose the most appropriate layout. Since email layout influences user experience and conversions, you need to find the best way to organize your content. Remember about white space when adding your text, images, and other essential elements. When inserting content, make sure that it’s well-organized, easily readable, and navigable.
11. Remember about mobile-first design. As an increasing number of individuals find it convenient to access their inboxes from mobile devices, ensuring the mobile responsiveness of your emails is imperative. Guarantee that your email design remains visually appealing on any screen, be it desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Prioritizing mobile optimization enhances user experience and empowers subscribers to complete desired actions whenever and wherever they are seamless.
12. Utilize emojis. Enhance the vibrancy of your emails and prompt action by incorporating emojis. Including emojis in your subject line can entice potential customers to open your emails. However, exercise caution and ensure you understand the true meaning of emojis before incorporating them into your emails to maintain appropriateness and effectiveness.
13. Conduct A/B testing. Consider doing A/B testing to determine which email designs are most effective. This method allows you to pinpoint elements that may need adjustment, such as CTAs, layout, colors, or other factors. A/B testing is a valuable tool for identifying the most resonant email design that positively impacts your target audience and boosts conversion rates.

Now, let’s explore some examples to inspire you for your further great email designs.

Email Design Examples

Numerous brands successfully use email campaigns for promotion and sales. They all use various email designs and effectively approach their customers. In this section, we’ll provide examples of email designs that drive action and help business owners reach their primary business goals.

Pegasus Airlines — Short and Enticing Subject Line

The Turkish low-cost airline does its best to make subscribers open its emails. The company has short and sweet subject lines with emojis that make receivers open their emails and explore offers.

Rare Beauty — Color Scheme Matching Branding

Rare Beauty email design is an excellent example of color combinations matching the cosmetics company's branding. Pastel colors help enhance readability and a seamless experience with the company’s email campaigns. It also includes visible CTAs that will take you to the desired product collection.

NYX Professional Makeup — Discounts and GIFs

NYX entices customers with free shipping and a 25% discount on eye products. This beauty brand usually adds GIFsto email design to make messages feel more interactive. Discounts establish FOMO, and encourage subscribers to click the call to action button and help convert them into clients.

Marks & Spencer — White space

Marks & Spencer uses white space to improve user experience. It allows customers to seamlessly explore the available apparel items and click one of the call-to-action buttons to see the details of each. With white space, this clothing brand enables subscribers to focus on the key email elements, improve readability, and contribute to aesthetic appearance.

Booking.com — Clear and Visible CTAs

Booking.com sticks to its branding, fonts, colors, and tone in every email. This example demonstrates clear and visible call-to-action buttons encouraging clients to rate their stay. Subscribers can easily click one of the buttons to rate their experience with Booking.com.

Congrats, now you know what email design is and why it’s crucial for the overall success of your email campaigns. Hope that our best practices and examples will serve you as inspiration for further marketing efforts. Register in SendPulse to start creating your compelling emails right now for free.

References:

1. This article contains information about email design examples, trends, and best practices.
2. In this article, you’ll find the ultimate guide to email design and some excellent examples.

Last Updated: 29.01.2024