The debate is always raging in the office between what we think makes the perfect email template. There is perceived to be a divide between the designers and the email marketing gurus, but is this really the case? My opposition (if you like!) in this debate is email marketing guru Alex Fenwick from Mailing Manager you can read his return article on the MM blog just here.

Opinion of a designer
Right time for my opinion on all email templates ….although be warned my perspective will be more design led, than led by technicalities as this will make for a better debate! I’m going to critique an email from Fontshop which you can view here. This is what I believe to be a good example of an email template.

Large Headers win the day
Firstly I love the distinguishable hierarchy of this email. The header is large and dominant (which is a coming fashion in web design); I also like the fact that there is only one CTA so as not to overwhelm the user. Viewers are not good at making decisions so make their choice easy and funnel them to the area which will convert.

Stylised backgrounds
Also I like the use of background colour which fits in with the brand and adds to the unique flavour of the template. I think too may templates have dull / subtle backgrounds so when suitable this is a nice feature. It would also be great to use background images where relevant although this may increase file sizes.

Images win …just
I like image headings where appropriate, again stylising your email will make people read it. The eye-catching design of the sub headings made me read further into the email, although I am aware that there needs to be a maximum composition weighting of 60 / 40 in favour of image over text.

Quick links
No Quick links in this email; not good. Quick links to all articles are something which I think is essential. Where relevant I would also have image lead-ins alongside these to instantly draw the viewer into key content.

Icons work
Another great feature of this email is its use of icons. When a user is scrolling through an email icons are so much easier to distinguish than text and also tend to draw the user to key areas of the site which again will convert into revenue i.e. Your shopping cart in this instance. If a user skim reads icons and CTA’s are obviously the areas you want to draw the user’s eye to.

Tweet it
Social media is booming and these links in the footer help show the diversity of the brand.  Larger footers are becoming commonplace so I wouldn’t be opposed to looking at putting more content within the footer in the future. Even large chunks of text would fit well in here.

Have your say
So the debate begins, can we come to an agreement on the perfect blueprint for an email template? Read Alex’s article here and feel free to join the debate and air your opinions regarding what makes the perfect email template.

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