One of the questions we are most frequently asked is whether there is one design that’s better than all others. The answer often depends on what we mean by “better.” Is your goal to achieve a higher click-through rate? A higher open rate? Are you trying to build a relationship with your customers, or is your aim to increase brand awareness?
We ♥️ communication! And we ♥️ talking about it, so if you want to improve your content, contact us! There are, however, some golden rules we want to share.
1. Mobile first
Nowadays, you can count on most digital communication being opened on mobile devices first. Keep that in mind when designing your send-outs. If you’re not very comfortable with mobile-friendly design, contact us and we’ll help you out!
2. Stay consistent with your visual identity
Make it easy for your audience to recognize you by applying a consistent visual identity across all your platforms. This includes colors, fonts, logos, and overall design style. Consistency builds trust and strengthens your brand.
3. Use a distinct and effective CTA
Place your most important CTA (call to action) at the top of your content and make it stand out with both color and size. Be clear about where the recipient will end up, but don’t write an essay. Triple-check that clicking the button takes the recipient to the correct page, for example, if you’re linking to “My pages,” the URL should go directly to the login page, not the start page.
And no, there are no colors that are inherently better than others. Just make sure your CTA is visible.
4. Use images
Include large, high-quality images that display well on retina screens. Images of people, especially smiling faces, tend to make us want to engage with the content. People also naturally follow where others are looking, so if you want your recipients to focus on a specific part of your content, use an image with people looking in that direction. Traditionally, it was recommended to place images on the left side of your content. With mobile clients, however, this guideline is becoming less relevant.
5. Editable text and Web Safe Fonts
This one includes some specific email tips. Yes, Baron or Moderne Sans looks great, but most of your recipients will not see them unless the font is already installed on their device. Instead, the email will fall back to a default font such as Arial, which often results in spacing and layout issues. Suddenly, your email does not look quite as awesome anymore. Have a look at W3Schools to learn which fonts are web-safe.
Using editable text instead of images also helps you maintain a healthy image, text, and link ratio, which reduces the risk of being caught by spam filters. It also ensures that your message gets through even if images are not displayed for some reason.
6. Accessibility
Not everyone has the same conditions when reading emails or other digital communication. Be fair and thoughtful by considering accessibility in your design. Many email clients and devices have become better at supporting accessibility, but there is still a lot you can do:
- Be clear with your subject line, preheader and headings
- Keep your text content short and easy to scan
- Make sure your font color contrasts well with the background
- Include alternative text for your images
- Use a logical and structured layout
- Use distinct and clearly identifiable links and CTAs
7. Tell a story
Nothing is as effective as engaging content, so make storytelling part of your communication. For example, explain changes by showing them. Use before-and-after visuals or seasonal elements, such as autumn leaves around your logo. Dare to refuse static!
8. Test!
Last, but definitely not least, test, test, and test! It is the most important thing of all. Test your emails. Test your landing pages. Test everything. By getting an overview of how your email renders in different clients, you can gain valuable insights for your design. You can also use A/B testing to improve subject lines and content. What may have seemed like a great idea at the start might not actually fit your communication. There is only one way to find out. And do not forget to have fun along the way - it shows!