Reading Time: 5 minutes

Top 5 Email Design Trends To Watch Out For

Email design trends come and go like the wind, much like regular fashion, and just like regular fashion, these trends operate in cycles. 

One minute everyone is wearing skinny jeans and chinos, the next minute everyone’s dressed like a geography teacher on a school trip to the lake district!

Whether you choose to follow trends or not, there is no denying that keeping on top of what’s current and what’s popular is a great way to increase brand authority, awareness and credibility. 

Email marketing remains the marketing channel with the highest ROI at a return of £36 for every £1 spent. However this does not mean that you can cobble together any old email and expect to see success. Emails that utilise outdated trends and tired aesthetics will not only see poor engagement and conversion rates, but will also drastically increase your unsubscribe rate. 

 

In this blog we look into some recent email design trends that have been proven to boost campaign success. 

 

Dark Mode

Dark mode has taken the digital world by storm. It is reported that 82% of people utilise dark mode on their mobile device. There are many reasons why people prefer a darker background when using their phones:

 

  • MUCH more comfortable for their eyes
  • Saves battery life compared to light mode
  • Suits their aesthetic

 

Dark mode emails are designed with a dark background in mind and will appear dark based on the recipient’s preferences. If they have the setting enabled then your email will appear in dark mode. This is made possible through email coding which can identify which setting your subscriber prefers and convert the email accordingly. 

 

Pastels & Neons

Pastels and Neons may be opposites but their effectiveness is extremely similar. Both colour schemes serve different purposes and can be utilised to convey different emotions.

Pastels are excellent at conveying feelings of calmness, peacefulness and tranquillity due to their softer hue and in modern day with all the anxieties and stresses of life these colours can be a great choice for your emails. 

Additionally, pastel colours can be used to send negative/ inconvenient news such as a ticket/ order cancellation or account closure as the soft colours help to calm the readers reaction.  

 

Interactive Content

One of the most significant email design trends in recent years is incorporating interactive content within your emails. Turning your communications into an interactive experience that keeps your audience engaged for longer is an effective tactic in increasing the conversion rates of your campaigns.

 

You can make your emails interactive in many different ways including:

  • Carousels
  • Videos
  • Animated Buttons
  • Gamification

 

Interactive content can come with many different challenges and obstacles. For example: some email clients don’t support any forms of interactivity, writing the necessary code to make your emails interactive is extremely time consuming and interactive content takes a long time to load. However, when done correctly, interactive emails are a great way to stand out from the crowd and differentiate your businesses from the competition. 

 

Minimalistic Designs

In the modern day fast-paced digital landscape, simplicity is key. Minimalistic email designs continue to gain popularity due to their clean and clutter-free appearance. 

Minimalism as a whole focuses on clear, simple and concise design, in other words the design has been stripped down to its essentials . These designs not only enhance readability but also optimise the user experience across various devices, thanks to responsive design techniques. 

Utilising a responsive layout ensures that your emails look great and function well on both desktop and mobile devices, catering to the preferences of an increasingly mobile-centric audience.

 

Personalisation & Dynamic Content

Personalisation has long been a crucial aspect of successful email marketing, and in 2023, it continues to be a dominant trend. Tailoring emails to individual recipients based on their preferences, behaviours, and demographic information helps establish a deeper connection with your audience. 

Dynamic content takes personalization to the next level by customising email content in real-time based on user interactions or data provided at the time of opening the email. 

By incorporating personalised subject lines, dynamic product recommendations, and location-based offers, you can significantly enhance the relevance and effectiveness of your email campaigns. Click here for our full guide on the psychology behind personalised marketing. 

 

Wrap Up

The 5 trends we identified above have been tried and tested and have been providing consistent results over the past few months. By no means should you try and follow everyone of them as not all will be appropriate to your business and your branding. 

As we mentioned email marketing is an extremely profitable marketing channel and when done correctly can offer a ROI that no other channels can compete with.

We hope you learnt something about email design and can utilise some of these new strategies in the future.