The Evolving Landscape of Email Design

Email design has come a long way. From animated GIFs to interactive elements and hamburger menus, today’s inbox experience is more dynamic than ever. Despite the ongoing challenge of inconsistent email client support and outdated coding standards, designers are finding creative ways to adapt and innovate.

No Fixed Rules—Only Continuous Learning

In email design, the only constant is change. Instead of hard rules, designers work with evolving best practices, learning through experimentation and iteration. We spoke with three leading email design experts—Fabio Carneiro, Alex Kelly, and Dylan Smith—to bring you the most actionable insights in email design today.

Meet the Experts

Fabio Carneiro
Senior front-end manager at Mailchimp, expert in email architecture

Alex Kelly
Email developer at Mailchimp, community contributor, and Certified Email Geek®

Dylan Smith
Freelance email designer from London, with a flair for user-centered design

Avoid All-Image Emails

Image-only emails may look great in theory, but if a user has images disabled or limited connectivity, they’ll see nothing. Always include real text to ensure visibility.

Stay On Brand at All Times

Your email should be identifiable even without your logo. Every design element should reflect your brand’s tone and visual identity.

Beginners Should Imitate, Experts Should Experiment

New designers can learn from mimicking what works. Experienced ones should move beyond copying and test original ideas—even if they break from the norm.

A/B Test Your Email Design

Once your subject lines and content are optimized, begin testing layouts, button styles, and visual elements to fine-tune engagement and user experience.

Prioritize the Reader’s Experience

Being invited into someone’s inbox is a privilege. Treat it with care. Write, design, and deliver with respect for the personal space you’re entering.

Use Larger Fonts

Don’t sacrifice readability. Start with at least 16px font size for body text, and consider going up to 20px with generous line spacing for better clarity.

Make Buttons Thumb-Friendly

Design buttons with touch devices in mind. Stick to minimum button sizes: 44px for Apple, 48px for Google. The easier they are to tap, the better.

Engage With the Email Design Community

Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, the email design community is welcoming and full of resources. Join #emailgeeks on Twitter or browse forums like Litmus.

Be Practical With Interactive Features

Interactive emails are eye-catching but hard to implement. They require complex code and often lack broad client support. Use with caution and always build fallbacks.

Reconsider Navigation Bars

If users are clicking your nav bar over your content, your messaging may be off. Focus on delivering value in the message itself before relying on menus.

Avoid Embedding Video

While trendy, embedding HTML5 video in emails can burden users with data costs and compatibility issues. Consider linking to video content instead.

Respect the Inbox as a Personal Space

Each inbox is shared with emails from loved ones and personal contacts. Your message should add value, not just fill space. Respect your audience’s attention.

Embrace Scrappy and Hacky Solutions

Email design is inherently messy. With so many limitations, clever workarounds are part of the job. Accept the quirks, and keep pushing the boundaries with creative solutions.

Resources Recommended by Alex Kelly

• Litmus Community – A hub for email marketers and developers
• Litmus Emails – Educational and inspirational email examples
• Lee Munroe’s Design Weekly – Weekly UX insights with a focus on email
• Paul Airy’s Type E – Newsletter exploring typography in HTML emails
• Action Rocket’s Email Weekly – Curated email trends and examples
• Jason Rodriguez’s Newsletter – Email strategy from a Litmus product manager
• Really Good Emails – A massive gallery of effective, real-world email designs