Dear Emma,

I know you're fond of calling me a "person of style," and it's true that I'm incurably addicted to Project Runway. So, in the spirit of being fashion forward, would you fill me in on what's trendy in the world of email design this year?
 

Cheers,
Fashionista in San Francisco


Dear Fashionista,

A well designed email is a great place to show off your brand, and a campaign that's easy on the eyes - and a pleasure to read - builds trust and loyalty with your readers. So if creating great looking campaigns is one of your style goals this year (along with other fashion mantras of "less spandex" and "maybe not so much on the fringe there, tiger"), then we're happy to share what's on the horizon for email design in 2008. Here are five trends to get you started, and look for another five in the next edition of our Ask Emma series. And yeah, good call on the fringe. 

1. Getting serious about the subject line.
It's the most important sentence of your entire email campaign, and yet too many otherwise creative people are content with the most banal of subject lines, like "February Newsletter." February may indeed be an exciting month for your organization, but busy readers with two seconds to decide whether to stop and open your email need a little more enticement. Keep your monthly label, but add some color, like "Initech's February Newsletter: How Good is Your HR team? Take Our Quiz and Find Out..." Now, we're intrigued. Nice work, Initech.

Check out this article from our Ask Emma archive for more tips on crafting a great subject line.

2. Striking the right balance between images and text.
Emails with images in them perform better than their graphic-less counterparts. But how many images are *too* many? The general rule of thumb is to avoid sending one big honkin' (it's a technical term) image and strive for a healthy balance of graphics and text. Not only does that create a pleasant viewing experience, but it also avoids serious trouble in cases where an email server doesn't accept large files, or the recipient's email program doesn't immediately display your graphics, or your reader is on a slow Internet connection and, well, decides to run out for a sandwich before your large image files have time to load. It is lunch time, after all.

Have a large image converted from a print piece that you'd like to send as an email campaign? Our designers can make it inbox-friendly with a few days' notice. Click here for more details.

 3. Branding more than just the *from* name.
By now, most marketers know to brand the two *from* pieces: the address (newsletters@julies-hats.com) and the name (Julie's Hat Emporium). In addition to those two obvious branding slots, make sure you're including your logo or graphic branding prominently in the campaign, and consider branding another inviting slot: the subject line. By starting your subject with consistent branding (think "News from Julie's Hats: This Week Only, Sombreros Half Off!"), you'll make it even easier for recipients to identify your emails amidst a cluttered inbox.

4. Focusing above the fold.
We assume that most people use a preview pane when perusing their inbox, and recent studies by MarketingSherpa confirm that fact (their research indicates that more than half of email recipients use a horizontal preview window of varying height). So it's important when laying out your email's content to put a lot of attention on the top four inches and use that prime real estate to the best of your, well, realty abilities. Make sure your logo is there. Make sure you've introduced your email's topic or theme. And make sure you start the conversation early - that way, folks are more likely to feel inclined to read on and let you finish the thought. Is there an important link or action item in the body of your email? Don't bury the lead; instead, put it near the top in case a quick preview is all someone needs to inquire, purchase, sign up or learn more.

See how Emma customers Rule29 keep their emails short and sweet.

5. Designing for three display possibilities.
You're probably aware of the two primary ways an email shows up in inboxes - as html or as plaintext. And you probably know to fine-tune the latter just a bit, keeping in mind that without graphics or columns to work with, a plaintext email typically requires a bit of repositioning or rephrasing. But there's a third display possibility to consider, and it's the Images Not Displaying scenario. Many email programs let recipients decide whether to view an email's images, which means many of those lovely html masterpieces you send at least start out minus the graphics. To design for that possibility, make sure your campaign still makes sense - and makes its point - even if the graphics are, ahem, out of the picture. Sure, the hope is that everyone views your art the way you intended it to be seen, but even if they don't your email can still do its job.

For tips on how to pretty up your plaintext, read this article from the Ask Emma archive.

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So there you have it, person of style. Those are just a few trends to help you on your way to stylish email greatness this year, with more on the way in the next edition. If you have any of your own trends that you'd like to share, by all means, let us know...

Cheers,
Emma

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