Most emails look like garbage.
Cluttered layouts. Tiny text on mobile. CTAs that blend into the background. No clear direction for where your eye should go. Good design starts with understanding your email CTA best practices — the button is where the money is.
And then people wonder why their click rates suck.
Design isn't decoration. It's strategy. (Not sure if you should use HTML at all? See plain text vs HTML emails.) The way your email looks directly affects whether people read it and take action.
Here's how to design emails that actually work. (And once the design is right, make sure your subject lines get them opened in the first place.)
1. Mobile First, Everything Else Second
Over half your subscribers will open on a phone.
Read that again. More than half.
If your email doesn't work on mobile, it doesn't work. Period.
This means single-column layouts. Text that's readable without pinching and zooming. Buttons big enough to tap with a thumb (at least 44x44 pixels).
Check every email on your phone before sending. Not just your preview tool. Your actual phone.
If something looks cramped, if buttons are too close together, if the text is too small, fix it. Because your subscriber won't. They'll just close the email and move on.
The standard mobile rules:
- Single column (no side-by-side content)
- Font size 16px minimum for body text
- Buttons 44px tall minimum, full width is even better
- Generous padding between elements
- Images that scale properly
Airbnb and Apple nail this. Their emails look exactly as good on a phone as they do on a desktop. That's the standard you're competing against.
2. Create a Clear Visual Path
When someone opens your email, their eye should know exactly where to go.
Headline first. Supporting content. Then your CTA. Easy, obvious flow.
Most emails fail here. They throw everything at the reader at once. Multiple competing headlines. Sidebars with distracting elements. Three different things asking for attention.
Confused people don't click. They leave.
How to create visual hierarchy:
Size matters. Bigger text gets read first. Your headline should be the largest thing on the email.
Contrast directs attention. Your CTA button should be a color that pops against the background. Nothing else should use that color.
White space isn't wasted space. It gives your content room to breathe. Cramped emails feel overwhelming.
One job per email. What's the single action you want someone to take? Everything else should support that one goal.
3. Nail Your Preheader Text
The preheader is that preview text next to your subject line in the inbox.
Most businesses either ignore it completely (letting their email client pull random text like "View in browser") or they waste it repeating the subject line.
Both are mistakes.
Your preheader is a second chance to earn the open. It should add information the subject line couldn't fit.
Subject: "Your order has shipped"
Bad preheader: "Your order has shipped and is on the way."
Good preheader: "Arrives Thursday. Track your package here."
See the difference? The good preheader adds new, valuable information.
Keep it under 50 characters so it displays fully on mobile. Front-load the important words.
(More on this: improving email open rates.)
4. Make It Scannable
People don't read emails. They scan them.
If someone has to carefully read every paragraph to understand what you want, you've already lost most of them.
Design for scanning:
- Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)
- Subheadings that communicate value
- Bullet points for lists
- Bold text for key points
- Plenty of white space
The inverted pyramid works. Put the most important information first. Details later.
If someone only reads the headline and skims the bullets, they should still understand your main message and know what to do next.
5. Stay On Brand
Every email from you should instantly feel like it's from you.
Same colors. Same fonts. Same logo placement. Same general structure.
When subscribers see your email, they should recognize it before they even read the sender name. That recognition builds trust.
Create email templates that lock in your brand elements. Header with logo. Consistent color palette. Standard footer.
Then you're not recreating the wheel every time. You're just filling in the content.
This also saves time. Instead of designing from scratch, your team just plugs content into the established framework.
6. Optimize Your Images
Images can make emails beautiful. They can also make them slow, broken, and inaccessible.
Compress everything before uploading. Large image files slow load times. Slow load times kill engagement. Use TinyPNG or similar tools.
Always add alt text. Many email clients block images by default. Screen readers need alt text for accessibility. Your email should still make sense without images.
Don't rely on images for critical information. If your CTA is text baked into an image, it's invisible when images are blocked.
Smart image approach:
- Compress all images before uploading
- Keep total email size under 100KB when possible
- Write descriptive alt text (not "image.jpg")
- Use HTML text for headlines and CTAs, not images
- Test with images disabled
7. Personalize The Experience
Your subscriber data should change what people see.
Basic personalization: First name in the greeting.
Better personalization: Product recommendations based on purchase history. Content blocks that change based on user segment. Location-specific offers.
Dynamic content lets you send one email that displays differently for different subscribers. Your platform probably supports this. Use it.
Someone who bought running shoes should see running gear recommendations. Someone who browsed formal wear should see dress shirts.
The more relevant the content, the higher the engagement. And automation makes this scale.
(Full guide: top email marketing automation strategies.)
8. Use Color Strategically
Color isn't just aesthetic. It's functional.
Your CTA should be the most visually prominent element in the email. Usually that means a color that contrasts with everything else.
If your brand uses blue, maybe your CTA is orange. If your emails are mostly white, a bold color button pops.
Test different colors. Some audiences respond better to certain colors. The only way to know is to test.
Important: Design for dark mode too. Many people use dark mode on their phones and email apps. Your email needs to look good there, not just in light mode.
Check contrast ratios for accessibility. Light gray text on a white background might look "clean" but it's hard to read. Aim for at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text.
9. Test Across Clients
Email rendering is a nightmare.
Gmail shows emails differently than Outlook. Apple Mail renders differently than Android. Your beautiful email can look completely broken in certain clients.
Use tools like Litmus or Email on Acid to preview across dozens of email clients and devices before you send.
At minimum, check:
- Gmail (web and mobile)
- Apple Mail
- Outlook
- Your top subscriber email clients (check your analytics)
Build a testing checklist. Run through it before every send. Catch rendering issues before your subscribers do.
(Related: how to improve email deliverability.)
10. Make Unsubscribing Easy
This sounds counterintuitive, but making unsubscribe easy is good design.
If someone wants off your list and can't find the unsubscribe link, they'll mark you as spam instead. That hurts your sender reputation far more than an unsubscribe.
Clear unsubscribe link in the footer. One click to confirm. No guilt trips, no surveys required.
While you're at it, include your physical mailing address. It's required by law (CAN-SPAM, GDPR) and it looks legitimate.
A preference center is even better. Let people choose to receive less email rather than no email. Weekly instead of daily. Just product updates, not promotional. Options reduce unsubscribes.
Quick Reference
| Principle | What To Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile first | Single column, big buttons, 16px+ fonts | Most opens are mobile |
| Visual hierarchy | One clear path from headline to CTA | Confused people don't click |
| Preheader text | Add info, don't repeat subject | Second chance to earn the open |
| Scannable layout | Short paragraphs, bullets, bold | People scan, not read |
| Brand consistency | Same colors, fonts, structure | Builds recognition and trust |
| Image optimization | Compress, alt text, don't rely on them | Speed, accessibility, reliability |
| Personalization | Dynamic content by segment | Relevance drives engagement |
| Strategic color | CTA pops, dark mode works | Directs attention where it matters |
| Cross-client testing | Check Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook | Rendering varies wildly |
| Easy unsubscribe | Clear link, one click, no guilting | Protects sender reputation |
Start Here
Pick the worst thing about your current emails. Fix that first.
If mobile experience is broken, focus there. If your CTA disappears into the background, fix the contrast. If everything looks the same, establish visual hierarchy.
One improvement at a time. Measure the impact. Then move to the next thing.
Email design isn't about winning awards. It's about getting people to take action. Every design choice should serve that goal.
Need expert eyes on your email design? Inbox Connect builds email programs that actually drive revenue. Book a free 30-minute audit and we'll show you exactly what's working and what's not.