Email Design Best Practices for Emails People Actually Read

Most emails are glanced at for a few seconds, on a phone, between other things. Design in email is therefore not decoration. It is the work of helping a busy person understand what you sent and what to do next, as quickly as possible.

These email design best practices focus on simple, durable habits that work whatever platform you use.

Design for one goal per email

Every email should answer a single question: what do I want the reader to do? Reading a post, claiming an offer, booking a call, replying. Pick one primary action and let everything else support it.

When an email carries five equal messages, readers pick none. Put the main action first, support it with a few lines, and move secondary links lower down. If you need to share many updates, a newsletter format with a clear structure is better. See newsletter growth strategies for how to build one people look forward to.

Build a clear visual hierarchy

Hierarchy tells the eye where to go. In a typical email the order should be:

1. A headline that states the point.
2. A short opening line or image that supports it.
3. A few lines of body copy.
4. A prominent button.
5. Secondary content, then the footer.

Create hierarchy with size, weight, spacing and colour, not with shouting. Apply the same principles you would use anywhere; the graphic design principles for marketers apply directly to email.

Use a single column

A single-column layout reads well on every screen size, from a narrow phone to a wide monitor. Multi-column layouts often collapse awkwardly or break in some email apps.

• Keep the content width moderate, so lines are not too long to read comfortably.
• Leave breathing room around text and between sections.
• Avoid placing important content in sidebars that may drop below the fold on phones.

Treat mobile as the main screen

Design for the phone first, then check how it looks on a computer.

• Use body text large enough to read without zooming.
• Make buttons big enough for a thumb, with space around them so people do not tap the wrong thing.
• Keep paragraphs to two or three short lines.
• Test that images scale down rather than spilling out of the screen.

Many readers will open your email in a quick moment on the move, so a clear first screen matters more than a clever bottom.

Write for scanning

Most people skim before they decide to read. Help them.

• Break copy into short paragraphs.
• Use bold for the one phrase you most want noticed, sparingly.
• Use bullet points when listing three or more items.
• Put the key information, such as dates, prices and deadlines, where it stands out.

Good subject lines and preview text also belong to the design. They form the first impression before the email even opens. See email subject lines that get opens.

Typography that survives email apps

Email apps do not always load custom fonts. Choose a font stack with safe fallbacks so the layout still looks intentional when your preferred typeface does not appear.

• Use two font styles at most.
• Keep sufficient contrast between text and background.
• Avoid long passages in italics, all capitals or light grey text.

If you have brand fonts, plan the fallback in advance. The ideas in typography for brands help you choose a pairing that degrades gracefully.

Colour and brand consistency

Use your brand palette consistently so the email is recognisable at a glance, but keep the number of colours small. One accent colour for buttons and links gives the eye a clear target. Read the brand colour palette guide if your palette needs tidying.

Remember that some email apps offer dark mode and may change your colours. Avoid placing dark text on transparent logo images, which can disappear against a dark background. A logo with a thin light outline or a solid background tile is safer.

Images: helpful but never essential

Many email apps block images by default until the reader allows them, so an email made of one big picture can appear blank.

1. Never put all your text inside an image. It cannot be read by screen readers, and disappears if images are blocked.
2. Write meaningful alt text for each image, so the message survives when pictures do not load.
3. Keep file sizes light so the email loads fast on weak connections.
4. Use images that support the message, such as a product photo, not decorative filler.
5. Link the main image to the same destination as your button.

Buttons and calls to action

A button is your most important design element, so give it care.

• Use a real, clickable button made from live text, not a picture of a button.
• Write action-led text such as "See the menu" or "Book your slot" rather than "Click here".
• Use a colour that stands out against the background.
• Repeat the button once if the email is long, but link to the same place.
• Add a plain text link beneath as a backup for readers who cannot see the button.

One main button per email keeps decisions simple.

Accessibility is part of good design

An accessible email is easier for everyone to read.

• Check colour contrast between text and background.
• Use real headings and lists in the structure where your platform allows it.
• Write descriptive link text; avoid repeating "click here".
• Keep language plain and sentences short.
• Do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning.

For wider thinking, see accessible web design basics, which covers principles that translate across channels.

Respect deliverability

Design choices can affect whether your email reaches the inbox.

• Keep a healthy balance between text and images.
• Avoid huge file sizes and complicated code.
• Include a clear unsubscribe link and your business details.
• Use a recognisable sender name that readers trust.

The email deliverability checklist goes through the technical side in more detail.

A simple template to start from

Imagine a hypothetical neighbourhood bookshop designing its monthly email. A clean structure could be:

1. Logo, small, at the top.
2. A headline: "Five new books for slow weekends".
3. One line of context, then a single featured book with a photo, two sentences and a button.
4. Two smaller recommendations as short text blocks with links.
5. A line about an upcoming reading event.
6. A footer with address, social links and unsubscribe.

Nothing here is complicated. It is just ordered by importance and easy to scan.

Test before every send

Create a quick routine:

1. Send a test to yourself and open it on at least one phone and one computer.
2. Check it with images turned off.
3. Click every link.
4. Read the subject line and preview text together.
5. Proofread names, dates and prices.
6. Check the unsubscribe link works.

Over time, test one change at a time, such as button wording or layout, and keep notes of what you learn. The A/B testing guide explains how.

Keeping a consistent system

Consistency makes your emails recognisable and saves time. Build a small reusable kit.

1. A header block with your logo and a consistent top margin.
2. A set of text styles: headline, subheading, body and small print.
3. One button style, with a hover or pressed look if your platform supports it.
4. A footer block with address, social links and unsubscribe.
5. A few approved image sizes and a rule for alt text.

When a new campaign is needed, you assemble blocks rather than starting from a blank page. Document the kit in a short style note, ideally tied to your wider brand style guide, so anyone on the team can send an email that looks like it came from the same business.

A note on length

Short emails are not always better, but every line must earn its place. If a section does not help the reader take the main action, move it to a later email or a web page and link to it. A useful test is to read the email on your phone and ask whether a stranger could say, after ten seconds, what you want from them. If not, trim and reorder until they can.

Common design mistakes

• Cramming in too many links.
• Tiny text and tiny buttons.
• Heavy graphics with no text version.
• A different look in every email so nothing feels familiar.
• Forgetting a clear next step.
• Using a no-reply sender that discourages responses.

Takeaway

Good email design is simple, consistent and kind to the reader. Give each email one goal, use a single column, design for the phone, write for skimmers, make buttons obvious, keep images optional and check accessibility. Then test every send before it goes out.

If you want a reusable template that matches your brand, get in touch or browse the resources.