We often forget that the email we are going to send to customers is like a small landing page. And it should make a positive impression not only with the quality of the content but also with its professional and eye-catching design.
Image source: https://moosend.com/blog/email-newsletter-design/
First of all, a reader notices visual elements, and only then reads the text. The structure, illustrations, text formatting, colors, and readability on a mobile device — all this determines whether the recipient reads the email and takes the desired action.
In this article, we will show you how to make emails visually appealing and effective with the help of simple tricks and different tools like email signature software.
Tip #1: Use white space
There are many different visual objects that define the structure of an email. These are headings, texts, icons, images, and so on. White space is the background that brings all the elements together in a design, allowing them to stand out.
Despite its name, white space is not necessarily white. It can be any color, texture, pattern, or even a background image. The main idea is to enable viewers to clearly see some text/another element on its background. See the example of using white space in the email below.
Image source: https://www.pinterest.cl/pin/185280972150365220/
How do you know how much space works best?
White space sets the tone for the entire design. Emails with lots of white space reflect minimalism and sophistication (emails introducing a product like, for example, an iPhone or a piece of jewelry). Emails with less white space are more often informative (for example, emails with the news).
In general, there is no single rule to follow. It’s always best to test various designs on your audience.
Tip #2: Highlight your CTAs
Often, even the most interesting offer can’t force your client to go for it if there is no call to action in an email.
Once properly-designed and included in the email, a call to action (CTA) can encourage the recipient to take one or another action.
A CTA can be designed in a text form or as a button. Usually, the second option works better.
As a rule, readers scan emails quickly without reading the details. That’s why your CTA button should stand out from the background of the entire email. Make it contrasting and larger than the main text, but don’t overdo with its size. A large button can cross out the rest of the content. We recommended you to leave some free space around it. Make sure that the font and text color match the size of the button. However, be sure not to use all the rainbow colors to achieve this goal.
Tip #3: Add professional email signatures
An email signature is one of the elements of the email that provides the recipient with brief information about the sender. Usually, it is located at the end of the email and may contain the data such as the sender’s name, job title, company name, photo, phone number, alternative email address, links to social media accounts, etc.
Below is an example of a good professional email signature created with the help of an email signature software.
Image source: https://offer.newoldstamp.com/email-signature-for-lawyers/
If you create email signatures for your entire team, you would be able to:
- Receive feedback (recipients can choose the most convenient method of contacting you effortlessly);
- increase your brand awareness (if you add a logo and use your brand colors, your email recipients will remember you faster);
- attract new subscribers (if you use social media icons, interested recipients will definitely subscribe to your pages);
- Improve the look and credibility of your newsletter.
Tip #4: Make your emails easy to read
Aim to provide a minimum of information without losing the idea of your email. Too much text distract the recipient from the main purpose of the email. Avoid long descriptions of new products and promotions, shorten the text, remove links from the body of the email (you can put them in your email signature), etc. A well-designed, simple email will make it easier to reach the heart of the client.
Tip #5: Don’t use more than three colors
Think about what colors to use in your email for the background, the text itself, important semantic blocks, call to action buttons, and other elements. Of course, there are many attractive colors that might catch the recipient’s attention but keep in mind that the more shades you use, the more difficult it will be for the reader to navigate through the email. Ideally, you should keep your color palette to three (maximum four) colors.
Choose colors so that the text is easy to read. For example, if you choose a yellow font and a blue background, it will not be easy to read such an email. Gray or black letters on a white background are much easier to read as we got used to seeing text like this in books, magazines, on many sites. Of course, you can go far beyond these colors. The main rule here is to make sure that all the colors match each other. You can choose color palettes with the help of services like Paletton, Material Design, and others. All you need to do is to select a color, and the service will show several matching colors to use in your design.
Tip #6: Don’t overdo with your design
Don’t overdo it with excessive images, call to action buttons, too many font styles, special characters, colors, etc. Not only will this kind of design compromise your reputation in the recipients’ eyes, but your email could also end up being caught as spam.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the presence of unique content and great offers is very important in the effectiveness of the email, but there are also several design techniques that play the same essential role. These techniques include a wise use of white space, highlighting your calls to action using the right colors, leveraging the power of email signatures, brevity, and more.
Some situations set limitations on your email design. However, even in these situations, there is still room for creativity. For example, you can add more branded features of your company to your email signature and make your emails more catchy and memorable.
Description: Learn how to make your email more catchy and memorable with the right design techniques.
